Walt Davis of Jones Day, Atlanta was named judge for the new Business Court for the State of Georgia. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Gov. Brian Kemp’s nominee to lead the new statewide business court won swift legislative approval Wednesday.

Gathered for a joint hearing, the Georgia House and Senate Judiciary committees unanimously confirmed Jones Day partner Walt Davis to serve as the first business court judge. He’ll take the post in the new year.

Kemp nominated Davis in July to lead the new court, created through a 2018 constitutional amendment and legislation passed this year.

“I commend the leadership of House Judiciary Chairman Barry Fleming, Senate Judiciary Chairman Jesse Stone, and committee members for their unanimous, bipartisan support of Walt Davis as the first Statewide Business Court Judge,” Kemp said in a news release after the vote.”Moving forward, Walt has significant—and challenging—work ahead to establish and lead this new court, but we all agree that he is the right man for the job.”

Davis responded in the governor’s news release.

“I am deeply grateful to Governor Kemp for this opportunity, and I want to thank the House and Senate Judiciary Committees for their unanimous support,” Davis said. “It is an honor to make history as the first Statewide Business Court Judge, and I look forward to serving the citizens of our great state with integrity and humility.”

With the confirmation, Davis steps into a category by himself. He is the first judge of any state court—trial or appellate—who doesn’t have to run for office. He’s also the only judge appointed by a governor in recent memory without going through the Judicial Nominating Commission vetting process. That’s because his job was uniquely created. And there may be more to come as the court grows—“if I do my job right,” Davis said on the day of his nomination, July 15.

The legislation that established the court provides for the governor to appoint a judge and a clerk for the business court, both subject to approval by the Legislature’s judiciary committees within three months, or by the end of the year. The judge will appoint law assistants and staff for the court. The court’s venue is to be Atlanta, Macon or other locations as deemed appropriate. Much of the work will be done remotely through video and internet support.

The constitutional amendment question approved on the ballot in 2018 was: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to create a state-wide business court, authorize superior court business court divisions, and allow for the appointment process for state-wide business court judges in order to lower costs, improve the efficiency of all courts, and promote predictability of judicial outcomes in certain complex business disputes for the benefit of all citizens of this state?”

The bill does not preclude a superior court from creating or continuing with an existing business court division for its circuit. The new court’s jurisdiction will be limited to claims greater than $500,000—except for commercial real estate, for which the floor will be $1 million.

In nominating Davis, Kemp said he chose the name that “kept coming up.”

Davis has been with Jones Day for 17 years and is administrative partner for the Atlanta office. He has handled complex business litigation focused on corporate governance, fiduciary duty, securities fraud and shareholders disputes. He is a 1998 graduate of Mercer University in Macon and a 2001 graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville. He clerked for Judge Beverly Martin in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia before he moved on to Jones Day—and before she moved on to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Davis said he knows this is “an off ramp” in his Big Law legal career. He will continue working at Jones Day until the end of the year, where he has many matters to handle in the transition. The new job starts in January and is a five-year appointment, subject to renewal by the governor. Asked if he has a five year plan, Davis said he does, but it’s known only to himself and his wife. For now, he said, “Success to me would be making this a respected and relevant court.”