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 and Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic. In addition to the Clinic, he teaches Trial Practice and Legal Communication and Research II.

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, New York, then with the Law Offices of the Shelby County Public Defender in Memphis, Tennessee. 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.

Before entering public service, Leith worked as an associate at Sidley Austin, LLP in New York, New York, practicing commercial litigation. He then moved to the boutique firm Spears & Imes, LLP, also in New York, where he focused on white collar defense and SEC investigations.

Leith clerked for then-Chief Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating with distinction, and received a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude and was a Dean’s Scholar and McKay Scholar. Before his legal career, he was a professional musician.