The Hon. James A. W. McLeod
Vice Chair

The career of Buffalo City Court Judge James A. W. McLeod got off to an auspicious start when he became only the second African-American lawyer in Buffalo's history to be hired as an associate by a major law firm. Proving himself to be a formidable defense attorney, McLeod was chosen by Supreme Court Justice Samuel L. Green to serve as Confidential Law Clerk. He has been admitted to the New York State Bar, the Western and Northern Districts of New York Federal District Courts, and the U.S. Second Circuit District Court of Appeals. The great nephew of Mary McLeod Bethune, Judge McLeod was honored in 2001 with the Medgar Evers Award by the Buffalo branch of the NAACP. He received his bachelor of arts from Fredonia University and his juris doctorate from the University at Buffalo Law School.