The Hon. J. Leonard Fleet (Ret.) was a judge for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Broward County. He was elected to the bench in 1982. Fleet retired on December 31, 2005.
He held assignments in the Criminal, Family, and General Civil Divisions and served as an associate judge for the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Palm Beach County.
Fleet received a B.S. in business administration from the University of Florida in 1956. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law in 1959.
He has taught as an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law, and he has taught Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the undergraduate and master of public administration programs at Lynn University.
His memberships include The Florida Bar, the Broward County Bar Association, and the Orange County Bar Association. Fleet is also a past president of the Broward County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center Advisory Board.
He received the Florida Justice Association Judicial Achievement Award (2008), the Antidefamation League Public Service Award (2006), the Broward County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Harry Gulkin Award (1994), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children National Judicial Award (1987), and the Broward County Chapter of the American Red Cross Distinguished Service Award (1985). Fleet was also named Judge of the Year by the American Board of Trial Advocates (2002) and the Broward County Bar Association (2004).
Following his retirement, he became a neutral at Upchurch, White, Watson & Max. Then, in 2007, Fleet established his own private dispute resolution firm, Fleet Dispute Resolution, in Vero Beach. He later became a mediator at Private Corporate Counsel.