Prior to her time as a judge, Lenihan was a civil litigation attorney as well as Corporate Secretary & Assistant Counsel at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She completed her mediation training at the Federal Judicial Center and subsequently taught those skills to judges on a national level. Judge Lenihan received her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and served on the Law Review. She currently teaches Mediation Skills at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.