Leto Copeley

Partner

Leto graduated from Hunter College of the City University of New York, summa cum laude, in 1980, and from Harvard Law School in 1983. She served as law clerk to the Honorable James E. McMillan, of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina from 1983-84. Before joining the firm, Leto was a staff attorney with Legal Services of Southern Piedmont and had her own law practice. Leto has served on the North Carolina Bar Association Labor and Employment Section Council, the Board of Directors of Farmworkers Legal Services, and as treasurer of Legal Aid of North Carolina, an agency delivering free legal services to low-income people statewide. She has served as President of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys and as President of the Charlotte chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina. Before attending law school, Leto worked in the department of political action and legislation of District Council 37, a local of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Leto is listed in the Best Lawyers in America in the area of workers’ compensation. Since 2006, Leto has been included in the list of North Carolina Super Lawyers published by Law and Politics Magazine. In the same magazine, she has been listed as one of the top fifty women lawyers in North Carolina. Leto is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell.

Leto currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Compensation Section of North Carolina Advocates for Justice and as a member of the Law Practice Management Section Council of the North Carolina Bar Association. She is a member of the American Association for Justice, the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, the Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group, the American Bar Association, North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Association, the National Employment Lawyers Association, and the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys. She is actively involved in her church, St. Philips Episcopal of Durham, where she currently assists with the Hispanic Outreach Ministry and serves as an elected member of the vestry. Leto is a Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law. Her areas of practice include workers’ compensation, personal injury, wrongful death and sex abuse/sexual harassment.

Read about Leto’s recent activities on our blog.

Areas of Practice:

• Workers’ Compensation
• Personal Injury
• Wrongful Death
• Sex Abuse/Sexual Harassment

Litigation Percentage:

• 95% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Certification/Specialties:

• Workers’ Compensation Law

Bar Admissions:

• North Carolina, 1984
• U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina, 1984
• U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina, 1988
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1988

Education:

• Harvard University Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1983
• Hunter College of the City University of New York, 1980
  • Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Honors and Awards:

• The Best Lawyers in America
• North Carolina Super Lawyers Published by Law and Politics Magazine, 2006 – Present
• One of the Top Fifty Women Lawyers in North Carolina, Law and Politics Magazine, 2006 – Present
• Rated AV by Martindale Hubbell, the highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• American Association for Justice – Member
• The American Bar Association – Member
• The National Employment Lawyers Association – Member
• AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee – Member
• Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group – Member
• North Carolina Advocates for Justice, Workers’ Compensation Section – Member, Executive Committee
• North Carolina Bar Association – Member, Law Practice Managment Section Council
• North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys – Past President
• The Orange County Bar Association – Member

Past Employment Positions:

• The Hon. James E. McMillan, The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Law Clerk, 1983 – 1984
• Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, Staff Attorney, 1984 – 1986
• Department of Political Action and Legislation, District Council 37, AFSCME, Staff member, 1979 – 1980

Pro Bono Activities:

• Church, St. Philips Episcopal of Durham: Church Vestry, Hispanic Ministry, Youth Group Leader
• Episcopal Diocese – Sponsored Honduras Health Mission

Languages:

• English (Primary)
• Spanish