Lesley began her career as a researcher in the Scottish Office where she led a major programme of research evaluating social work criminal justice services. Lesley is a former Dean of the School of Law, the first woman to be appointed to that post. She is currently a member of the Centre for Law and Society and the Global Justice Academy and an Associate Director of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research. She was also the founder of the Empirical Legal Research Network, a cross-University initiative aimed at facilitating partnership-working across different disciplines, pooling expertise and functioning as a resource bank for researchers at all levels of career. In 2014 she founded, and is currently Co-convenor of, the Leadership Foundation for Women in the Legal Profession.