Leena R. Kamat was born in the San Francisco Bay Area to immigrant parents from Mumbai, India, as the younger of two daughters.  She is licensed to practice law in the state of California, having earned a Juris Doctor degree from the UC Davis School of Law (King Hall), and a Public Service Law certificate. While in law school, she was granted a scholarship from the Contra Costa County Bar Association Women’s Section, and was a nominee for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Award at King Hall.

Leena completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley on a Regents' and Chancellor's scholarship, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree in South Asian Studies with high honors and distinction in general scholarship.

Leena is an avid proponent of social justice, and supports efforts to empower women, immigrants, people of color, religious minorities, and LGBT individuals.  Her writing has been published in India-West, The Friday Times (a Pakistani weekly), and Trikone Magazine (a South Asian LGBT publication).  Additionally, she serves on the board of South Asian Sisters and is among the founders of as well as a regular writer/performer in the group's annual production, Yoni Ki Baat (inspired by Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues).  Leena also enjoys writing and performing music, and is a die-hard Bollywood fan.