Leto Copeley

Leto came to North Carolina after graduating from Harvard Law School in order to work as a law clerk for US District Court Judge James B. McMillan in Charlotte.  During her clerkship she fell in love with the state and decided to stay. 

Leto has a long and successful record of handling cases of personal injury, workplace injuries, wrongful death, sexual harassment and sexual abuse.  She now primarily brings claims on behalf of children and adults who were sexually abused, against the institutions that failed to protect them. Leto has obtained substantial jury verdicts for her clients, and has argued and won cases at the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She enjoys representing individuals rather than big companies, since she has never forgotten the early years of her life when she supported herself as an auto parts worker, house cleaner, and waitress.

Leto is very involved in the crime victim rights community.  She currently serves as a Governor’s appointee to the North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission.  In 2019 she served as the President of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, and she continues as a member of its board.  Trained as a mediator, Leto also currently works as the ombudsperson for the American Economic Association, whose leadership is devoted to making the economics profession more inclusive and welcoming to women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community.
 
Leto regularly presents at seminars for other lawyers. She has taught in continuing legal education programs sponsored by the American Bar Association, the National Crime Victim Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and the North Carolina Bar Association