Monongalia County

West Virginia

January 31, 2016

CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT
Democrat | Primary Election | May 10, 2016

When Can I Vote for

Leanne?
Absentee Voting starts
February 16.
Early Voting starts April 27.
Primary Election is May 10.

Who Can Vote for

Leanne?

All registered Democrats

can vote for Leanne.

If you are registered as a

Libertarian, Mountain, or
Republican, then you
cannot vote for Leanne in
the Primary Election.

If you are registered with

any other party or with no
party, you can vote for
Leanne by letting the poll
worker know you wish to
vote for a democrat.

What if Im Not
Registered to Vote?

The deadline to register to

vote for Leanne in the
Primary Election is April 19.

Information provided by the Candidate.

Get to Know Leanne Cardos0

Originally from Pennsylvania, Leanne moved to Morgantown in 1989
to attend WVU. She immediately fell in love with the mountains and
knew she had found her new home.
Her legal career began in 1996 when she enrolled at the WVU
College of Law as a recipient of both the West Virginia State Bar
Merit Scholarship and the Witcher and Betty McCullough West
Virginia Bar Association Scholarship. As a student, Leanne was the
Judge's Liaison for the Moot Court Board, a Baker Cup
Participant, and the Community Service Chairperson. As Community
Service Chairperson, she organized charitable activities and logged
many, many hours volunteering at the Shack Neighborhood House
working with local children and families.
In 1999, while representing WVU at Duke University's Appellate
Advocacy Competition, she and two other law students proudly took
home the Best Appellate Brief award. Upon graduation, Leanne was
nationally recognized for excellence in written and oral advocacy by
being named a member of the prestigious Order of the Barristers.
Practical, hands-on experience began with an internship at a
large, labor law firm in Charleston, where she assisted in the
investigation of incidents occurring during a violent strike. She also
gained experience when her love for criminal law and brief writing led
her to the Appellate Division of the West Virginia Attorney General's
Office. There, she worked on criminal appeals on behalf of the State
and conducted oral argument before the West Virginia Supreme
Court of Appeals.

Monongalia County

West Virginia

January 31, 2016

Upon graduation, Leanne accepted a position as an associate attorney with a small general practice firm in
Morgantown where she spent much of her time assisting with personal injury litigation. Driven by fairness and
justice, this seemed to be a good fit for Leanne as it allowed her to fight for those who had suffered serious
injuries due to the negligence of others.
As a strong believer in our Constitution with a deep interest in criminal law, Leanne began accepting criminal
court appointments in 1999. Criminal defense work is a crucial component of our justice system and good
criminal defense attorneys are instrumental in making sure that everyone's Constitutional rights remain in tact.
Working on criminal cases quickly became one of Leanne's greatest passions.
Always looking for a way to reach out to those who need a voice, Leanne volunteered as a pro bono legal
advocate for victims of domestic violence; spending many hours helping some of the most vulnerable members
of our community.
At this early stage in her career, she saw a troubling trend among those who she met through court
appointments and those who she met through pro bono domestic violence work.
Lack of education and
poverty seemed to be at the center of too many of the cases she was seeing. Women and children were too
often financially trapped and unable to flee their abusers. Young people growing up in poverty were committing
crimes. Many of them never believing that they could make it in college or earn enough money to support their
families. The cycle just seemed to be perpetuating itself. Eager to fight poverty and promote education, she
struggled to find a way to use her legal training to do more than just litigate cases.
Leanne soon realized that opening her own practice would allow her the freedom to pursue these other career
objectives. In 2000, she put out her shingle focusing her practice on those areas of law she had grown to love.
She also accepted a teaching position at the West Virginia Junior College (WVJC) in Morgantown.
It was at WVJC where she discovered that she had a knack for teaching, and she could see the impact she
was having on her students. WVJCs student population had, and still does, a large number of local, nontraditional students. Many of her students were first-generation college students leading the way for their
children and bringing positive change to our community.
In 2006, passionate about changing lives, Leanne temporarily closed her law practice to focus full-time on
teaching. This "temporary" closure ended up lasting longer than she thought, and Leanne proudly dedicated
several years of her legal career to WVJC where she served in various leadership roles as the Assistant
Campus Director, Academic Dean, and Legal Program Director. Her time at WVJC afforded her the opportunity
to build strong ties with thousands of local residents, their families, and the businesses who employ
them. Through this experience, Leanne has gained incredible insight into what motivates people and what it
takes to create real, positive, and lasting change.
As a dedicated citizen and advocate for her community, Leanne was appointed by Morgantown City Council in
2007 to serve on Morgantown's Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) and is the current Chair. In this quasi-judicial
role, Leanne, along with four other board members, interprets Morgantown's zoning regulations. This
experience has strengthened Leanne's leadership skills and her ability to make tough, but fair decisions.
Recently, Leanne has re-shifted her focus to practicing law full-time. She continues to teach at WVJC, but is
always finding new ways to create change and foster progress in our community. True to character, her law
practice includes advocacy for victims of domestic violence, criminal defense, personal injury and immigration.
She continues to fight for those who need a voice and to strengthen our community.
As of January 29, 2016, Leanne has announced her candidacy for Monongalia County Prosecutor.
Understanding the big picture, Leanne will lead with effectiveness, efficiency, fairness, and common sense.
Her proven dedication to the constant betterment of our community makes her clearly the best choice for the
citizens and businesses of Monongalia County.

Leanne Cardoso has been fighting for you already.

As prosecutor, Leanne will continue the fight for a better, safer Monongalia County.
Give her your voice and your vote on May 10, 2016, and elect her as your next prosecutor.

Information provided by the Candidate.