Leigh Ann Webster | Atlanta Circuit, Post 30

Candidate Statement

I want to be on the Board of Governors because I want the practice of law to be better—for our clients, of course, but also for us, as both lawyers and human beings. I think that I am well-suited for this role for a number of reasons. I understand that being on the Board of Governors is not just about my personal preferences, but about doing what is best for all members of the Bar. I’m used to considering a wide array of perspectives in both my personal and professional life. I grew up in Elberton, Georgia, a town of approximately 4,000 people, and I ended up at Harvard Law School. I’ve worked for a nonprofit organization and a federal appellate court, but for the past 10 years, I have co-owned a small law firm. Because of this variety of experiences, I can easily understand how different issues would affect different members of the Bar, which is critical to ensure that the Bar’s decisions address the concerns of all of its members.

I am primarily an appellate attorney, which means that I spend a lot of time researching issues and figuring out how to communicate my arguments. These skills and experiences would serve me well to help understand the issues facing the Bar and how those issues affect attorneys practicing in this state. I also teach in various capacities, including as an adjunct professor at Emory Law School. Part of being an effective lawyer—and professor—is finding consensus where possible and drilling down on the precise area of disagreement, so that I can communicate that and address the heart of the issue. These skills would certainly enable me to meaningfully contribute to the Board of Governors.

Education

• Emory University, 2007
• Harvard Law School, 2010

Personal/Family

• Leigh Ann lives in the Summerhill area of Atlanta, with her two dogs, Lolo & Mila. She is very close to her family, including her parents, who live in her hometown of Elberton, Georgia, and her niece and nephews.
• Leigh Ann travels frequently, including to places like Madagascar, but her current goal is to visit every Caribbean island possible. Other interests: tennis, reading and any activity that includes being on the water.
• Leigh Ann graduated summa cum laude from Emory in 2007, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. While in law school, she spent a summer in Cape Town at the South African Human Rights Commission.

Professional Background, Bar Activities, Civic Activities

• Leigh Ann is a partner at Strickland Webster, LLC, which is a criminal defense firm that focuses on criminal appeals and post-conviction matters. Leigh Ann and her law partner, Sydney Strickland, have won more than 20 reversals from the Court of Appeals of Georgia, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the First Circuit Court of Appeals, in addition to winning cases in front of the Board of Immigration Appeals.
• Before going into private practice, Leigh Ann was a staff attorney at the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Leigh Ann is active in the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL), including representing other attorneys as part of the Strike Force and previously co-authoring What’s the Decision. She is on the Criminal Justice Act panel for the Northern District of Georgia, the Eleventh Circuit and the First Circuit.
• Leigh Ann is an adjunct professor at the Emory University School of Law, teaching Criminal Appeals and Post-Conviction Litigation—a course that she designed. She is also on the faculty of the Kessler-Eidson Program for Trial Techniques, as well as the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.
• Together, Leigh Ann and Sydney received the Leeza Cherniak Award of the Sword, which is given in recognition of consistent valor in the face of adversity, heroism in defense of others and commitment to the cause of justice. GACDL also recently recognized Leigh Ann and the other members who successfully represented Brian Steel when he was found in contempt of court during the YSL trial. Leigh Ann has also presented on various topics in the field of criminal defense at CLEs, including most recently a CLE by the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism.
• Leigh Ann is a founding board member of the nonprofit Witness Change, which uses visual storytelling to improve the lives of marginalized communities.

Main Issues Facing the State Bar/Position

• Artificial Intelligence—The Bar is going to be required to address the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the practice of law. There has to be a way to use this tool while also protecting the role of lawyers, and the Bar should be proactive in both protecting our livelihood and in ensuring that our clients get the representation to which they are entitled.
• Wellness—Being an attorney is an honor and a privilege, but it does not come without costs to us. I’d like us to identify steps that we can take to humanize the practice of law, so that everyone remembers that at the end of the day, we are people before we are lawyers.