Judge Lesley Brooks Wells earned a Bachelor of Arts from Chatham College (now Chatham University), and her J.D. from CSU Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She worked as a federal court intern through the Women’s Law Fund while completing her law degree. After graduation, Judge Brooks Wells maintained a private law practice, served as both director of the ABAR III Civil Rights Litigation Support Center and an adjunct professor at CSU|LAW, and as an adjunct assistant professor at CSU’s College of Urban Affairs. After serving more than a decade as a judge for the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Brooks Wells for a judgeship in 1993. She was confirmed by the Senate in February of 1994, receiving her commission the following day to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Twelve years later, she became a senior judge. Judge Brooks Wells retired from service in October of 2015.