About

Leonard Feldman was appointed by the Governor to fill a judicial position on the Washington State Court of Appeals. He will be sworn in on May 1 following the retirement of Chief Judge Beth Andrus and will then stand for election to retain his seat in November 2023.

Leonard is an accomplished appellate lawyer with over 30 years of experience in a broad range of complex fields, including consumer protection, civil rights, class actions, disability rights, and excessive use of force by law enforcement.  He has argued dozens of times in the appellate courts of the United States and Washington and twice has had the privilege of arguing in the United States Supreme Court.  Yes, that’s Leonard in the Supreme Court drawing at the top of this page! 

Most recently, Leonard has spent three years as a law professor at Seattle University School of Law where he teaches a new generation of lawyers and has twice been nominated to receive the school’s Outstanding Faculty Award.

He has consistently offered his services on a pro bono basis to those unable to afford legal help and has earned awards for his consistent dedication to this work.  Outside the courtroom and Law School classroom, Leonard regularly prepares and serves meals at local homeless shelters.

Leonard’s early childhood was spent in Canada, but after moving to Washington he received a public-school education that included a degree in psychology from the University of Washington. With a good dose of humility, as well as pride, Leonard was surprised when he was admitted to Harvard Law School.  Once there, he earned the coveted Sears Prize (twice) for being either number one or two in his class before graduating with honors.

Leonard resides in north Seattle with his wife of 35 years, Kristine.  Their son Ben, 23, is an accomplished jazz bassist in Manhattan, and their son Tyler, 22, is a senior at Duke University and will soon begin graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University while working at the University’s Applied Physics Laboratory.

Leonard is deeply committed to his family, the legal community, his students at the Law School, and the people of the State of Washington, and will bring this same sense of devotion and public service to the Court of Appeals.