Lesley B. Wells

Lesley Brooks Wells (born 1937) is a former United States federal judge.
Wells earned a B.A. from Chatham College (now Chatham University) in 1959 and a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University in 1974. She was employed as a federal court intern through the Women's Law Fund from 1973 to 1974.
Wells maintained a private law practice for six years (1975–1978 and 1980–1983) in Cleveland, interrupted by two years (1979–1980) as director of the ABAR III Civil Rights Litigation Support Center at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She was adjunct professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (1980–1981) and adjunct assistant professor, College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University (1980–1983 and 1990–1992).
After more than a decade as a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas judge (1983–1994), former U.S. President Bill Clinton nominated her on November 19, 1993, for a judgeship vacated by John Michael Manos. She was confirmed by the Senate on February 10, 1994, and received her commission the following day. Twelve years later, on February 14, 2006 she became a senior judge. She retired from active service on October 2, 2015.
Wells was married to the late Charles F. Clarke, a partner in the multinational law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. He died in January 2014.