Leonard E. Birdsong

Biography

Immediately after graduating from law school, Professor Leonard Birdsong was an attorney with the law firm of Baker & Hostetler. Later he served as a diplomat with the State Department with various postings in Nigeria, Germany, and the Bahamas. Professor Birdsong also worked as a federal prosecutor, first as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and later as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Virgin Islands. After leaving government service, Professor Birdsong moved into private practice in Washington, D.C. where he specialized in trial work in areas ranging from criminal defense to political asylum. While in private practice, Professor Birdsong also was involved with broadcasting. He has offered on-air TV legal analysis for Fox News, CNN, Court TV, BET TV News, and WUSA Channel 9 in Washington, D.C. Today, Professor Birdsong occasionally appears as a legal commentator for Fox News and MSNBC.

Research Interest

criminal defense to political asylum