Lawyers & Staff

Preston Tisdale

  • Attorney

Contact:

Areas of Practice

  • Personal Injury
  • Civil Rights

True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.

Profile

More than 40 years ago, Preston began his legal career at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder. He later left to pursue other legal and civic ventures. Preston’s legal accomplishments and his devotion to community service made him a welcome addition back at Koskoff in 2010.

Prior to returning to Koskoff, Preston served as the Director of Special Public Defenders for the State of Connecticut, Office of Chief Public Defender. Preston held this position since its inception and administered all Special Public Defender operations and functions within the Division of Public Defender Services. Before this appointment, Preston headed the Fairfield Judicial District Public Defender’s Office.

Preston is the President of the Public Justice Foundation. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA)and the American Association for Justice (AAJ), on the Connecticut Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparity in the Criminal Justice System, and has served as a faculty member of both the National Defender Training Program and the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA)Continuing Legal Education Program. He has also served on the Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice’s Criminal Justice Committee, on the Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Committee. He has served as a member of the CBA Professionalism Committee and the Professional Discipline Section.

In other civic capacities, Preston serves on the Boards of Directors for Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and the Bridgeport Public Education Fund, Inc., and on the Advisory Board for the Center for Children’s Advocacy. He is also the Immediate Past Chairperson of Regional Youth/Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP) and Vice-Chairman and past Chairman of the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA.

Preston graduated from Brown University and the New York University School of Law. He is a Past-President of the Brown Alumni Association and a Trustee Emeritus of the Brown University Corporation.

 

Background

Bar Admissions

  • Connecticut, 1980
  • U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 1995

Education

  • New York University School of Law, New York, New York
  • Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

Leadership

Honors and Awards

  • AAJ Minority Caucus Stalwart Award
  • First Recipient of Joseph M. Fernandez '85 Award
  • NAACP Distinguished Service Award
  • BCAC Cesar Batalla Community Service Award for Making a Difference in the Lives of Bridgeport Children
  • ABCD Award of Excellence for Dedication Provided to the Community
  • YMCA Appreciation and Recognition Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service
  • RYASAP Goodspeed-Pfriem Award
  • Recognition of Service from the Connecticut General Assembly
  • Calvary SDA Church Champion of Youth Award
  • Save Our Babies Award for Outstanding Community Service
  • Honored with Preston Tisdale Day by the Mayor of Bridgeport
  • Greater Bridgeport Bar Association Liberty Bell Award
  • H. Richard Brew YMCA Volunteer of the Year

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • The Public Justice Foundation, President
  • Connecticut Bar Association, Member and Past Treasurer
  • Connecticut Bar Association Policing Task Force, Member
  • Chief Justice Robinson's Jury Selection Task Force, Appointee
  • American Association for Justice, Board of Governors
  • Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Governors
  • Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, Member

Pro Bono Activities

  • Brown U Leadership Council lines
  • Bridgeport Public Education Fund, Inc., Board of Directors
  • Central Connecticut Coast YMCA, Vice Chairman & Past Chairman
  • Center for Children's Advocacy, Advisory Board
  • Brown University President's Leadership Council
  • Inman Page Black Alumni Council of Brown University, Past President