Alison Preston
Ali Preston is an associate at the firm and a former Deputy Solicitor General for the State of Florida. Having briefed and argued appeals in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and multiple Florida appellate courts, she has experience handling all types of high-stakes federal and state appeals. Ali also currently serves as the co-chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section, the chair of the local Federal Bar Association’s Appellate Committee, and a leader within The Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section.
After graduating near the top of her law school class, Ali clerked for Judge Charles R. Wilson on the Eleventh Circuit and for Judge Michael P. Allen and some senior judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She practiced as a trial attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice before joining the Florida Solicitor General’s Office, where she worked on both civil and criminal cases of particular complexity and political sensitivity. Ali is a board member of the Federal Bar Association’s Tampa Bay Chapter and a member of the J. Clifford Cheatwood American Inn of Court. She is also a member of the Executive Council for The Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section and vice chair of its Outreach Committee.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and an award-winning member of the law review and moot court team at Stetson University College of Law, Ali was born and raised in Tampa, where she attended H.B. Plant High School and St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School. A sixth-generation Floridian, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and rescued dog.
Education
- Duke University, B.A., with high honors
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Graduated in three years
- Stetson University College of Law, J.D., with high honors
- Stetson Law Review (Articles & Symposia Editor)
- Moot Court (Board Member)
- Research and Teaching Assistant for Constitutional, Administrative, and Criminal Law
- Florida Bar YLD Law Student Division Board of Governors
- President of the Stetson Chapter
- Three-year Governor
- Interim Professionalism Chair of statewide executive board
- Judicial Extern to U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven, Middle District of Florida
- Veterans Advocacy Clinic, Veterans Law Institute
- Book Awards: Federal Courts, Interviewing & Counseling, Criminal Procedure – Investigation, and Criminal Law
- Dean’s List (all eligible semesters)
- Dean’s Merit Scholarship (three-year, full-tuition, academic scholarship)
Certifications and Bar Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida and Middle District of Georgia
- All Florida Courts
Honors and Distinctions
- Badge and Special Prosecutor Designation (an honor previously extended only to Florida Attorneys General), Office of the Florida Statewide Prosecutor, 2024
- Second Place, Second Annual Young Lawyers Division Moot Court Competition, Orlando Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, 2024
- Michael P. Allen Award for Excellence and Professionalism, Stetson College of Law, 2018
- Outstanding New Associate Award, Stetson Law Review, 2016
- Rising Star Award, Stetson Law Student Organizations, 2016
- Law School Moot Court Competition Awards:
- Semifinalists & 2nd Place Brief, 68th Annual NYC Bar National Moot Court Competition – Region V, 2018
- Final Round Winner, Orseck Memorial Moot Court Competition, 2017
- Semifinalists, Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition – South Regional, 2017
- Quarterfinalists & 3rd Place Brief, 67th Annual NYC Bar National Moot Court Competition – Region V, 2017
Professional Associations
- Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar
- Vice Chair of the Outreach Committee
- Member of the Executive Council
- Hillsborough County Bar Association
- Appellate Practice Section
- Co-Chair
- Criminal Law Section
- Trial & Litigation Section
- Young Lawyers Division
- Grants, Awards & Bylaws Committee
- Appellate Practice Section
- Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
- Chapter Board Member
- Appellate Committee
- Chair (voting chapter board member)
- Past Vice Chair (non-voting chapter board member)
- Young Lawyers Division Committee
- Past Chair (voting chapter board member)
- Florida Association for Women Lawyers
- Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers
- J. Clifford Cheatwood American Inn of Court (Associate Member)
- Florida Supreme Court Historical Society
- Second District Court of Appeal Historical Society
Lectures
- “Originalism: Basics and Research Strategies,” Moderator, Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section CLE (October 3, 2025)
- “Bench Notes: Improving Your Legal Writing,” Co-Moderator, Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association Webinar (September 10, 2025)
- “Jurisdiction and Related Litigation,” Office of Statewide Prosecution’s 2025 Annual Conference (July 24, 2025)
- “Redistricting and Related Litigation,” Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association High School Summer Law Camp (June 11, 2025)
- “The Bribe Stops There: Expansion of the American Anti-Corruption Regime Through the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act,” Panelist, Stetson Law Review Scholarship Luncheon (April 4, 2025)
- “Statutory Interpretation,” Stetson Law Review All-Hands Meeting (March 25, 2025)
- “State of YLD,” Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association Annual Meeting (December 5, 2024)
- “Representing Law-Enforcement Agencies,” Moderator, J. Clifford Cheatwood American Inn of Court (December 3, 2024)
- “Jurisdiction and Related Litigation,” Office of Statewide Prosecution’s 2024 Annual Conference (Fall 2024)
- “Ask A Lawyer,” Panelist, Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association High School Summer Law Camp (June 4, 2024)
- “Navigating the Differences Between State and Federal Practice,” Panelist, Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Government Lawyers Section and Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association’s Criminal and Government Investigations Committee (April 26, 2024)
- “Bluebook Workshop and Judicial Clerkship,” Panelist, Stetson Law Review Discussion (September 5, 2023)
- “Judicial Clerkships,” Panelist, Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (Summer 2020)
Publications
- “Appellate Section Transition: Hello from New Co-Chair,” Lawyer 36 (Hillsborough County Bar Association) 18, September/October 2025
- “A Profile in Service: Judge Charles R. Wilson,” The Record (The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section) February 2025
- “Interpretation Post-Conage: We’re All Exhaustionists Now,” Lawyer 33 (Hillsborough County Bar Association) 18, May/June 2023
- “Clerks’ Perspective on Clerking and Advocacy Before the Veterans Court,” Co-Author, 7 Stetson Journal of Advocacy and the Law 53, 2020
- “Auer Deference Lives On, ‘Zombified’ But Resilient,” Co-Author, The Federal Lawyer (Federal Bar Association) 29, November/December 2019
- “The Supreme Court Turns Its Attention to Auer Deference,” Co-Author, The Federal Lawyer (Federal Bar Association) 36, May/June 2019
Community Involvement
Ali is an active parishioner, volunteer, and catechist at St. Timothy Catholic Church and a member of the local Catholic Lawyers Guild. She continues to volunteer at Stetson Law as a guest judge for classes, moot court competition teams, and tryouts.
Oral Argument Links
Latest News
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Brannock Berman & Seider Welcomes New Lawyer
Alison Preston has joined Brannock Berman & Seider as an associate in the firm’s Tampa office. A former Deputy Solicitor
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Brannock Berman & Seider Listed Among Florida’s Best Law Firms
As in years past, the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms® has ranked Brannock Berman & Seider as a “Tier 1”
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Joe Eagleton Gives Presentation for Appellate CLE Program
For the second time in a row, Brannock Berman & Seider shareholder Joe Eagleton presented the basics of appellate jurisdiction
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Nine Brannock Berman & Seider Lawyers Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®
The 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® has ranked nine Brannock Berman & Seider lawyers among the top
