diff --git a/pykafka/cluster.py b/pykafka/cluster.py
index 0b71f37cb..cb131b1f6 100644
--- a/pykafka/cluster.py
+++ b/pykafka/cluster.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
                          GroupCoordinatorNotAvailable,
                          NoBrokersAvailableError,
                          SocketDisconnectedError,
+                         LeaderNotFoundError,
                          LeaderNotAvailable)
 from .protocol import GroupCoordinatorRequest, GroupCoordinatorResponse
 from .topic import Topic
@@ -66,8 +67,8 @@ def __getitem__(self, key):
                 meta = self._cluster()._get_metadata([key])
                 try:
                     topic = Topic(self._cluster(), meta.topics[key])
-                except LeaderNotAvailable:
-                    log.warning("LeaderNotAvailable encountered during Topic creation")
+                except LeaderNotFoundError:
+                    log.warning("LeaderNotFoundError encountered during Topic creation")
                     if i == self._cluster()._max_connection_retries - 1:
                         raise
                 else:
@@ -455,8 +456,8 @@ def update(self):
             self._update_brokers(metadata.brokers)
             try:
                 self._topics._update_topics(metadata.topics)
-            except LeaderNotAvailable:
-                log.warning("LeaderNotAvailable encountered. This may be "
+            except LeaderNotFoundError:
+                log.warning("LeaderNotFoundError encountered. This may be "
                             "because one or more partitions have no available replicas.")
                 if i == self._max_connection_retries - 1:
                     raise
diff --git a/pykafka/exceptions.py b/pykafka/exceptions.py
index c4d583916..cb914fd5b 100644
--- a/pykafka/exceptions.py
+++ b/pykafka/exceptions.py
@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@ class NoBrokersAvailableError(KafkaException):
     pass
 
 
+class LeaderNotFoundError(KafkaException):
+    """Indicates that the leader broker for a given partition was not found during
+        an update in response to a MetadataRequest
+    """
+    pass
+
+
 class SocketDisconnectedError(KafkaException):
     """Indicates that the socket connecting this client to a kafka broker has
         become disconnected
@@ -74,8 +81,14 @@ def __init__(self, partition, *args, **kwargs):
         self.partition = partition
 
 
-# Protocol Client Exceptions
-# https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/KAFKA/A+Guide+To+The+Kafka+Protocol#AGuideToTheKafkaProtocol-ErrorCodes
+"""
+Protocol Client Exceptions
+https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/KAFKA/A+Guide+To+The+Kafka+Protocol#AGuideToTheKafkaProtocol-ErrorCodes
+
+NOTE: Don't raise these from client code unless it's in direct response to an error
+code from the broker. When that's not the case, the exception raised should instead be
+a subclass of KafkaException.
+"""
 
 
 class ProtocolClientError(KafkaException):
diff --git a/pykafka/partition.py b/pykafka/partition.py
index b22d34e1b..c0959e465 100644
--- a/pykafka/partition.py
+++ b/pykafka/partition.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 import weakref
 
 from .common import OffsetType
-from .exceptions import LeaderNotAvailable
+from .exceptions import LeaderNotFoundError
 from .protocol import PartitionOffsetRequest
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -153,6 +153,6 @@ def update(self, brokers, metadata):
                 log.info('Updating in sync replicas list for %s', self)
                 self._isr = [brokers[b] for b in metadata.isr]
         except KeyError:
-            raise LeaderNotAvailable("Replica for partition %s not available. This is "
-                                     "probably because none of its replicas are "
-                                     "available.", self.id)
+            raise LeaderNotFoundError("Replica for partition %s not available. This is "
+                                      "probably because none of its replicas are "
+                                      "available.", self.id)
diff --git a/pykafka/topic.py b/pykafka/topic.py
index b6d256b2d..f898beb49 100644
--- a/pykafka/topic.py
+++ b/pykafka/topic.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 from .balancedconsumer import BalancedConsumer
 from .common import OffsetType
-from .exceptions import LeaderNotAvailable
+from .exceptions import LeaderNotFoundError
 from .managedbalancedconsumer import ManagedBalancedConsumer
 from .partition import Partition
 from .producer import Producer
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ def update(self, metadata):
             log.info("Adding %d partitions", len(p_metas))
         for id_, meta in iteritems(p_metas):
             if meta.leader not in brokers:
-                raise LeaderNotAvailable()
+                raise LeaderNotFoundError()
             if meta.id not in self._partitions:
                 log.debug('Adding partition %s/%s', self.name, meta.id)
                 self._partitions[meta.id] = Partition(