Anna VanCleave

Anna VanCleave is an Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at the University of Connecticut School of Law. She specializes in representing individuals facing criminal charges in Connecticut state courts. Prior to her current role, she served as Chief of the Capital Division of the Orleans Public Defenders (2014–2016) and worked as a public defender in Washington, D.C., and Louisiana, handling both non-capital and capital cases at trial, appellate, and post-conviction stages. Before joining UConn, she was a Research Scholar and Director of the Liman Center at Yale Law School, where she co-taught courses on poverty and inequality in legal systems and co-directed the Capital Punishment Clinic. Her academic credentials include a JD from NYU School of Law (as a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar) and an MA from the University of Michigan.

Her research interests focus on criminal defense strategies, capital punishment, and systemic inequities in the criminal justice system. She has extensive experience in experiential legal education, integrating clinical work with academic scholarship. Her professional contributions include advancing legal advocacy for marginalized communities and reforming capital punishment processes.

VanCleave’s career highlights include her role in high-stakes litigation, leadership in public defense organizations, and curriculum development in clinical legal education. She has collaborated with institutions like Tulane Law School, where she was a Forrester Teaching Fellow, further emphasizing her commitment to teaching and mentorship in law.