1982-1983

Hon. Leslie Crocker Snyder was the first woman to try both felony and homicide cases in the New York County District Attorney’s Office, and she founded and led the Sex Crimes Prosecution Bureau, the first in the nation and a model for the country. She is a coauthor of legislation, including NY’s Rape Shield Law. She was appointed to the NYC Criminal Court in 1983 and thereafter to the NY Supreme Court and Court of Claims, presiding over many high-profile cases in her more than 20 years as a judge. After she left the bench, she was a partner at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP. She is currently a consultant and lecturer. She has served on many boards, adopted a public school, and volunteered in the New Orleans criminal justice system for six months after Hurricane Katrina. She is the author of 25 to Life. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including NYWBA’s Hon. Florence Allen Award in 2003. She and her husband have two grown sons and five grandchildren.