Job Title: Chief magistrate judge, Toombs County Magistrate Court, Lyons, Georgia.

Current primary practice area: Civil claims under $15,000, dispossessory actions, criminal warrant applications, first appearance/bond hearings, approval and execution of criminal warrants and search warrants.

Experience: Toombs County Magistrate Court, October 2013-present; assistant district attorney, Middle Judicial Circuit, September 2011-September 2013; assistant district attorney, Eastern Judicial Circuit, 2010-2011.

Education: Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University, 2010; Mercer University, 2007.

What drew you to a career in law? I wanted to be a lawyer since I was 18 years old. I had graduated from high school and planned to pursue a path in medicine at Mercer. However, that summer I was summoned for jury duty at the Chatham County Courthouse, where I would eventually be selected for a felony criminal trial. From the first day of trial, I was hooked. I enjoyed observing the judicial process, listening to the presentation and arguments of the lawyers and thinking critically as a member of the jury. After the trial, I spoke to the prosecutor and told her that I would one day want to be a lawyer like her.

Have you set a specific goal that you want to achieve in the next year? I hope to use technology to improve access to justice in rural Georgia. My Signature Service Project as president of the State Bar's Young Lawyer Division is a remote representation program, where I have partnered with Lawyers for Equal Justice. L4EJ is an incubator program located in Atlanta where young lawyers have formed sustainable and socially conscious law practices. In part, the program is designed so that the L4EJ lawyers can serve low- to moderate-income clients in rural Georgia by representing them in court remotely through the use of a video-monitoring system. The representation would be either pro bono or low bono work. The YLD Signature Fundraiser this year raised almost $40,000, with the net revenue going to this project.

What has been your proudest career moment and your biggest hurdle? The proudest career moment has been serving as president of the YLD. It is an honor to lead a dynamic organization that is committed to promoting the personal and professional growth of young lawyers while also striving to serve the public and our communities. On the other hand, this proud moment has also been the biggest career hurdle. As a mom, magistrate and YLD president, my biggest challenge is balancing all the responsibilities that come with these wonderful roles. I have learned, perhaps the hard way, of working around the clock and doing multiple tasks at once.