Leah Winsberg has dedicated her career to advocating for and uplifting the voices of vulnerable populations. She developed a strong sense of community growing up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and began her career by supporting children and youth in a variety of social service areas including behavioral health, education and employment, and re-entry in Cleveland, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Austin, Texas. Leah started her legal career in 2017 as an Attorney in the Youth and Parent Defense Division of the Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office, after clerking with the Youth and Parent Defense, Felony, and Appeals Divisions throughout law school. She co-led a pilot to create representation for parents in child support cases, served as a policy liaison for the Office, and advocated fiercely for parents in parental rights cases and youth in delinquency cases, including complex competency and bindover proceedings.

Most recently, Leah worked as the Senior Policy Attorney with Children’s Law Center, Inc., where she focused on improving the systems serving justice-involved young people through direct legal assistance, policy reform, and community education and partnership, promoting the fundamental differences between youth and adults. Much of her work focused on improving conditions of confinement, reducing racial disparities, and promoting effective alternatives to deep-end systems. In September 2024, Leah rejoined the Cuyahoga County Public Defender in a new role as the Community Engagement Attorney—she will work to enhance relationships with the communities we serve through outreach, collaborative partnerships, advocating for reforms, and providing criminal legal education and advice.

Leah graduated from The Ohio State University in 2007, with a major in Sociology and minor in Fine Arts. In 2016, Leah graduated magna cum laude from Cleveland State University’s College of Law and was awarded the Dean’s “Learn Law, Live Justice” fellowship of her graduating class. At Cleveland State, Leah engaged in policy reform, including a campaign to end solitary confinement of youth and a pilot program to improve representation in parental rights cases. Leah currently resides in Cleveland.