Practice Areas
Leslie focuses her practice on the institutional response to sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, child abuse, and other forms of protected class harassment, discrimination, and criminal conduct. She provides legal advice, counseling, and consulting regarding institutional frameworks for implementing Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, the Clery Act, as amended by the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, and other federal, state and local laws and regulations related to civil rights, discrimination, harassment, and child protection. Leslie assists educational and child-serving institutions in designing effective institutional responses that integrate the complex federal and state regulatory framework, the impacts of trauma and interpersonal violence on individuals and communities, and the institution’s unique culture, climate, and context. She helps institutions develop comprehensive policies, procedures, internal operating protocols and systems; conducts comprehensive Title VI, Title IX, and child protection policy audits; develops and trains multi-disciplinary teams and implementers; serves as an expert adviser to campus task forces and working groups; consults and advises on Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX investigations, adjudication and appeal proceedings; and assists educational institutions in meeting federal compliance obligations and responding to investigations by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Clery Compliance Division, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Leslie also leads complex and sensitive investigations into current and historical reports of misconduct, including historical reports of sexual abuse in the K-12 context; conducts after-action reviews and root cause analyses into suicide and other critical incidents; and conducts investigations, culture and climate studies, and assessments within athletics departments. She regularly advises presidents, boards, senior leadership, counsel, student affairs, faculty affairs, human resources, campus law enforcement, Title IX Coordinators, and other campus partners on compliance and coordinated care that aligns with institutional mission and values.