Ron Leshnower is an author and attorney who writes about government, politics, law, civil rights, and real estate, as well as music and art. Drawing on his legal background, he has written five books and numerous articles and blog posts, with a particular focus on explaining complex subjects in plain English, offering analysis and commentary, and helping readers understand how legal and political developments affect their lives.

Ron is the author and illustrator of Fair Housing Haiku: Learn About the Law Through Verse / With Illustrations, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act with an unusual introduction to U.S. housing discrimination law. Written in 5-7-5 syllabic form and featuring Ron’s original full-color illustrations, charts, and other visual material, the book explains how fair housing laws protect people against discrimination in renting, buying, and enjoying a home. It debuted as the #1 New Release in Civil Rights Law on Amazon.

He is also the author of President Trump’s Month: An Epistolary Novella (Hillocrian Creative), a prescient political satire written during Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign and told entirely through fictional executive orders, proclamations, speech transcripts, and other “official” documents. The book was named a finalist in the Adult Fiction: Humor category of the 2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

Ron’s other books include Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals (Hillocrian Creative), a finalist in the Business: Real Estate category of the 2014 International Book Awards and a #1 bestselling Kindle eBook on discrimination; Every Landlord’s Property Protection Guide: 10 Ways to Cut Your Risk Now (Nolo), an Amazon multi-category #1 bestseller held by law schools and libraries across the country; and Every Landlord’s Mold Prevention and Liability Guide (Nolo).

Ron’s creative work also extends to essays, music, and multimedia. His essay “Avoiding the Danger of Relative Privation When Lives and Art Are Lost” received an Honorable Mention in the Memoir/Personal Essay category of the 93rd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. His original narrative interpretation “Für Elise Reimagined,” imagining the story behind Beethoven’s famous piano work, was featured by the Boston Symphony Orchestra as part of its 2025 Beethoven & Romanticism Festival. In 2026, his song “Pressure,” featuring original mathematics-themed lyrics set to Billy Joel’s song of the same name, was selected for the National Museum of Mathematics’ Open Set event.

Ron is the creator of Fair Housing Meter, a Substack publication and YouTube channel that tracks developments affecting fair housing in the United States. Through analysis and commentary on legal, political, and policy developments, Fair Housing Meter examines whether the country is making progress toward the promise of equal housing opportunity or moving further away from it.

Ron has appeared as an expert on CBS News and NBC News and has been quoted or featured by publications including The New York Times, CNBC, the Chicago Tribune, Realtor.com, Trulia, TheStreet, Newsday, The Motley Fool, Debt.com, The Associated Press, the New York Daily News, Black Enterprise, and Bankrate.com, among others. His own writing has appeared in The New York Times as well as publications covering law, real estate, business, and personal finance.

Ron has also served as a fair housing trainer for property owners and managers and has been invited to speak at national real estate conferences, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs, Rotary, and other professional and business organizations.

In 2008, The New York Times Company’s About Group selected Ron as the About.com Guide to Apartment Living / Rental. He went on to write hundreds of articles and nearly 1,000 blog posts covering rental housing, legal developments, and apartment living. His work has also appeared in the National Apartment Association’s Units Magazine, Nolo.com, Landlordology.com, trade publications, and other online outlets. Ron founded FairHousingBlog.com in 2007, along with FairHousingHelper.com and FairHousingResources.com, and later created Ron’s Rent Roundup, Nolo’s landlord-tenant blog, and Hillocrian Blog.

Ron also volunteers regularly on matters involving law, democracy, and civic engagement. He serves as a State Lead for Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD), a nonpartisan organization that mobilizes lawyers to defend the rule of law and democratic institutions.

Ron earned a B.A. from Yale University in Italian Language & Literature, with the intensive writing option, and Music, and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, with Honors in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Concentration. He is admitted to practice law in New York and Massachusetts and is a member of the Authors Guild.