The Fulton County Juvenile Court has a new chief judge: Former Presiding Judge Juliette Scales, who's been at the helm since Jan. 5 after being appointed by the judges of the county's Superior Court bench.

Scales takes over for former Chief Presiding Judge Bradley Boyd, who served as chief judge since 2012 and has returned to his position as a presiding judge, according to a court spokesman.

A graduate of American University's Washington College of Law, Scales joined the State Bar of Georgia in 1999. She has served on the court since her appointment as associate judge in 2002 and presiding judge in 2013.

Scales worked as an assistant Fulton County district attorney and a special district attorney for the Fulton County Department of Children and Family Services prior to her appointment to the court, according to a press release.

Among Scales' projects as a Juvenile Court judge is the creation and oversight of Family Treatment Court, designed to address the problems of substance-dependent parents by combining the resources of the court, DFACS, the county's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and treatment providers.

She also is a member of Gov. Nathan Deal's Office of Children and Families Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Scales said she has no immediate plans for any changes to the court.

“We're always looking to improve, and we'll continue to do that,” Scales said.

“At this point, I'm just trying to gather information and assess our operations. The ongoing philosophy of the juvenile court is to ensure that our services are appropriate and serve to enhance the children and families that come before us.”

“Our court has been functioning extremely well, and I'm proud to be a part of it,” Scales said.

Scales is one of three presiding judges on the Juvenile Court, all of whom are appointed by the Superior Court bench. The chief presiding judge, in turn, appoints four associate judges.