Ellen Leonida

Ellen Leonida is Co-Chair of the Criminal Defense Practice Group at Sideman & Bancroft, San Francisco. She is an experienced trial lawyer specializing in white collar criminal defense and investigations and complex commercial litigation. With over 20 years of litigation experience, she has first chaired more than 80 jury trials in state and federal courts. She has also conducted internal investigations and counseled clients regarding government investigations and subpoena compliance. Ms. Leonida is a nationally recognized forensics expert, who has lectured on topics including DNA, digital forensics, and trial skills.

Ms. Leonida represents individual and corporate clients in a broad range of criminal matters, including trade secret theft, bribery, money laundering, and fraud. She represents clients in state and federal courts, in grand jury investigations, and in administrative proceedings.

Ms. Leonida also handles a wide range of civil litigation matters, including disputes involving breach of contract, trade secret misappropriation, and unfair business practices.

• Litigation
• Appeals
• Criminal defense
• White collar defense

• JD, UC Berkeley
• BA, UC Santa Cruz

• Federal Public Defender, Northern District of California
• Contra Costa County, Public Defender

• 2023 & 2024 California Super Lawyer
• Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Fr. Cuchulain Moriarty Award (2024)