Aida Ferrer Leisenring

Aida Leisenring graduated with Honors from Brown University in 1999. She later attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and graduated in 2006 with an award for Excellence in Service to the Law School for her clinical work in criminal defense. Before entering law school, Ms. Leisenring worked as an editor at Elle Magazine for 3 years, representing the publication at industry events, nationally and abroad, and writing monthly features. In addition to monthly articles in Elle Magazine, Ms. Leisenring was also published in Big Magazine, an international art and photography publication, for her works on American satiric cartoonist for The New Yorker, Robert Osborn, and noted photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe .

After law school, Ms. Leisenring opted to represent the indigent and accepted a position with The Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn, where she practiced for 6 years. There, she represented thousands of clients charged with both misdemeanors and felonies in Criminal and Supreme Court. She has conducted numerous suppression hearings, successfully tried felony cases to verdict, and has won motions to dismiss on various legal grounds. Her practice also included advisement on immigration and civil matters that are affected by criminal charges.

During her time at The Legal Aid Society, Ms. Leisenring was featured in two episodes of the National Geographic Channel’s documentary called “Criminal Defense,” an inside look into the lives of public defenders in Brooklyn, NY. Ms. Leisenring’s other legal experience includes interning at The Innocence Project, where she participated in the exoneration of Barry Gibbs, and appeared on Court TV’s “Stories of The Innocence Project.” Additionally she interned at The Capital Defender’s Office in 1999, assisting on Murder 1 and Murder 2 cases while New York still had the death penalty. Ms. Leisenring is fluent in Spanish and while at Brown, she studied at the University of Barcelona for one semester.

Ms. Leisenring works in the criminal trial group and the civil rights group, and handles cases in Nassau, Suffolk, NYC, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.