Attorney Lesley Briones

After graduating with honors from Harvard University, Lesley Briones returned home to Laredo to teach 8th and 10th grade. She soon left once more to attend Yale Law School, where she was involved with the Temporary Restraining Order Project and the Criminal Defense Clinic and led the Latino Law Students’ public service initiatives.

Upon graduation from Yale Law, Lesley practiced at Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston, specializing in litigation and tax law. She then joined the Laura & John Arnold Foundation, helping to scale the national nonprofit organization from a small Houston startup to one of the leading philanthropic organizations in the country. Over the course of 8 years, she served as General Counsel, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Talent Officer, and Executive President. Throughout her tenure, the Foundation granted over $1 billion to nonprofits across the nation.

Lesley moved on to serve as the judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4, becoming one of the highest-ranking civil judges in Harris County. During her time on the bench, she made her court one of the few in the county without a backlog, presiding over 14,000 cases and 1,000 bench and jury trials.

Lesley joined Arnold & Itkin LLP in April 2022, tasked with helping the firm better serve clients, co-counsel, and the communities of Texas. In addition to her duties at the firm, she is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center, a co-chair of the National Association of Women Judges for the Houston area, the president and a co-founder of Texas Latinx Judges, a member of the American Leadership Forum Class 56 and the Texas Lyceum, a certified executive coach, and an active member of both the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston and the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston. Lesley hopes to serve as our next Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4.

Lesley and her husband, Adán, have three young daughters.