Mediator

Preston Fleming JD, MBA is a full-time registered mediator and the founder of AccordBridge ADR, a dispute resolution practice dedicated to helping people find practical, dignified solutions to difficult conflicts. Guided by his firm’s tagline, “Helping parties build bridges, find common ground, and reach lasting accord,” Preston brings a rare combination of calm under pressure, strategic thinking, and deep empathy to every mediation he conducts.

A retired U.S. Navy lieutenant, seasoned business owner, and former criminal defense and family law attorney, Preston draws on decades of leadership and advocacy experience to help parties move from entrenched positions to workable agreements.

Preston’s path to mediation began long before law school or the military. As the oldest of eight siblings growing up in Louisiana, he was often the one asked to “work it out” when tempers flared over chores, shared rooms, or whose turn it was to use the phone. Those early experiences—listening to both sides, translating emotions into workable agreements, and keeping the peace in a busy household—laid the foundation for his lifelong commitment to resolving conflict rather than inflaming it.

After graduating from Assumption High School in Napoleonville, Louisiana, where he was a four-year letterman in track and cross country, Preston attended Nicholls State University for a year before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. He rose rapidly from the lowest enlisted rank to Chief Petty Officer, was selected for the Navy’s Chief Warrant Officer program, and ultimately retired as a Limited Duty Officer at the rank of lieutenant after nearly 22 years of service. During his career he served on five combatant ships, including three aircraft carriers, and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and multiple Middle East missions. His awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Joint Service Achievement Medals, the Navy–Marine Corps Commendation Medal, four Navy–Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) designation, among others. These experiences cemented his belief that “it’s not where you start in life that makes you a success, but where you finish.”

Following military retirement, Preston broadened his perspective outside the uniformed world. He worked as a defense contractor for the Department of the Navy, a mail carrier, a naval contract specialist, a program analyst for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and later owned and operated a small trucking company. Along the way, he completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in business at Saint Leo University and Webster University, gaining a strong foundation in operations, negotiation, and organizational dynamics.

Answering a long-held calling, Preston went on to earn his law degree from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia. As a criminal defense and family law attorney, he represented clients in some of the most stressful moments of their lives—cases involving liberty, family stability, finances, and reputation. Those years in the courtroom and at the negotiation table taught him that most people don’t want a “win at all costs” battle; they want to be heard, treated fairly, and given a path forward they can live with.

Today, Preston has transitioned away from practicing law and devotes his full professional time to mediation. He uses his military leadership, business experience, and years as a trial lawyer to help parties clarify what really matters, reality-test their options, and move toward durable agreements.

From mediating childhood disputes among eight siblings to facilitating high-stakes negotiations as a naval officer, business owner, attorney, and now neutral, Preston’s life work has centered on one theme: helping people navigate conflict with integrity and find solutions that allow them to move forward.