Leighton Rockafellow began his law practice in Tucson in 1973. A native of Geneva, Illinois, Leighton graduated from Geneva Community High School in 1966 and attended Southern Illinois University for his freshman and sophomore years. Transferring to the University of Arizona in 1968, Leighton completed his undergraduate degree in Business Administration in 1970 and graduated from the Arizona College of Law in May 1973. Leighton was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona on September 29, 1973, the United States District Court on October 15, 1973, the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on June 30, 1975, and the Supreme Court of the United States of America on March 26, 1979. Leighton has held the certification "Specialist in Injury & Wrongful Death" from the State Bar of Arizona since 1991. He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (1991), and named among the Super Lawyers of the Southwest since 2007.

Leighton's Tucson injury law firm was one of the first to begin advertising in Tucson. Advertising continuously since 1983, Leighton has become one of the best known names in the Tucson legal community. As an injury and wrongful death specialist, Leighton's personal injury law firm in Tucson confines itself to personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, products liability, legal malpractice, and associated insurance law including bad faith and insurance breach of contract. Leighton is a sustaining member of the American Association for Justice and the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association. Leighton Rockafellow is a member of the newly formed National Trial Lawyers and has been named one of the top 100 Trial Lawyers in Arizona by National Trial Lawyers. His firm is a highly regarded Tucson personal injury law firm.