Professor Leigh Ellis joined the faculty in 2023. Prior to joining the Creighton University School of Law faculty, Professor Ellis worked as a public defender in Douglas County, Nebraska. While at the Public Defender's Office, Professor Ellis' practice focused on juvenile law, child welfare proceedings, and adult misdemeanor and felony offenses. In her capacity as a public defender, Professor Ellis represented clients in bench trials, jury trials, and appellate proceedings. Most notably, she successfully argued the appeal of In re Interest of Victor L., in which the Nebraska Supreme Court recognized a youth's statutory right to be competent prior to proceeding with a juvenile court adjudication. In addition to working at the Public Defender's Office, Professor Ellis has also previously worked at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in New York and the Health Education and Law Project ("HELP") at Legal Aid of Nebraska. 
 
Professor Ellis is a graduate of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law (formerly Pace Law School) in New York, where she received the Most Promising Pace Law Student Award, the Dean's Award, and the Vanessa Merton Public Service Award. Professor Ellis' law school career culminated with her participating in Chief Justice Lippman’s Pro Bono Scholars Program, which allowed her to take the New York bar exam while still in law school and then dedicate the remainder of her spring semester to working full-time in the Children’s Advocacy Unit at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley.
 
Professor Ellis received an undergraduate degree from American University in Washington, DC and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska in Omaha. Outside of the classroom you can find Professor Ellis trying to keep up with her partner and son, reading any science fiction novel she can get her hands on, and going on adventures, including: riding her bike across Nebraska, backpacking the Camino de Santiago, and running an 100 mile ultramarathon.