Thomas M. Leith

Associate Teaching Professor 315-443-3036 tleith@syr.edu Curriculum Vitae

Thomas M. Leith joins the College of Law in Fall 2024 as an associate teaching professor. He will teach Legal Communication and Research and trial practice.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Leith was the Managing Attorney of the Criminal and Appeals Programs at Hiscock Legal Aid Society (HLAS) in Syracuse, New York. He joined HLAS in 2020 as a Staff Attorney in Appeals. As Managing Attorney, he oversaw programs at HLAS representing indigent clients in their criminal, Sex Offender Registry Act, and family court appeals, post-conviction advocacy, and indigent parole clients in their hearings and appeals.

Leith spent the previous ten years as a trial-level public defender: first with Brooklyn Defender Services in Brooklyn, NY, then with the Law Offices of the Shelby County Public Defender in Memphis, TN. In his years in the courtroom, he has defended every type of criminal case, from violations and misdemeanors to clients charged with first-degree murder.

Prior to his roles in public service, Leith was in private practice at law firms in New York City. Leith also clerked for then-Chief Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Since 2023, Leith has been an adjunct professor at the College of Law, teaching trial practice.

Leith earned a J.D. in 2006 from New York University School of Law and a B.A. in 1996 from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.