Preston O. Odom, III

With more than 20 years of experience, Preston Odom focuses on appellate practice and trial-level litigation support in numerous areas of the law, both civil and criminal. In this vein, he is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice; a former Chair of the North Carolina State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization Appellate Practice Specialty Committee; a member of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee; and former Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section.

Preston hails from Tallahassee, Florida, and completed his first year of undergraduate studies at the United States Air Force Academy. He transferred to Florida State University, where he graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.

Preston attended law school at the Florida State University College of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review and The Order of the Coif. He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1997, magna cum laude.

Preston began his legal career with the Supreme Court of Florida, where he served as a law clerk for two different Justices. He joined James, McElroy & Diehl in September 2000 and became a shareholder in June 2005.

Academic Background

J.D., magna cum laude, Florida State University College of Law, 1997
B.A., History, Florida State University, 1993

Bar & Court Admissions

Florida State Bar
North Carolina State Bar
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
United States District Court, Middle District of North Carolina
United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina

Affiliations

North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice
North Carolina State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization, Appellate Practice Specialty,Former Committee Chair
North Carolina Bar Association, Appellate Rules Committee, and former Chair, Appellate Practice Section

Professional Recognition

Best Lawyers® Charlotte Appellate Practice “Lawyer of the Year” for 2019
Business North Carolina Legal Elite in Appellate, 2018-2023
North Carolina Super Lawyer in Appellate, 2013-2023
North Carolina Super Lawyer in Family Law, 2022
North Carolina Super Lawyer in General Litigation, 2022
Co-authored with Charles M. “Casey” Viser an article entitled “The Need for Speed: New Rule 702(i) of the North Carolina Rules of Evidence,” which was published in the February 2007 edition of The True Bill, the newsletter of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section

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