Leigh H. Bernstein

Leigh joined Fleming & Curti as Associate Attorney in 2001 and became a partner on January 1, 2005. Prior to joining Fleming & Curti her private practice concentrated on family law issues and she gained broad experience in mental health and children's advocacy work. Leigh also worked as an Assistant Attorney General representing the Arizona Department of Economic Security. She is a founding member of the Collaborative Law Group of Southern Arizona, a practice group in Pima County committed to assisting clients in the resolution of legal disputes through negotiation. Leigh is a trained mediator herself, and is working to increase the use of mediation in probate, guardianship and trust matters.

Since her practice has become focused on elder law, Leigh has been particularly involved in guardianship, conservatorship and trust administration cases. She writes and lectures extensively, with recent presentations on topics as diverse as settlement of personal injury actions for plaintiffs who are minors or disabled, driving problems facing the elderly, and the use of "468B" trusts in settling multiple-plaintiff civil actions. Leigh is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national organization of special needs planning practitioners.

Leigh graduated from Wellesley College and received a Master's Degree in philosophy from New York University (her thesis was inspired by the writings of contemporary political philosopher John Rawls) before attending law school at the University of Arizona. She is a longtime baseball fan and occasional yoga practitioner, scuba diver and sea kayaker.