The adage "out with the old, in with the new" will become a reality in 2025 when roughly 30% of Georgia's probate courts swear in new judges in January.

With at least 49 jurists now counting down the days until they'll don their black robes, the Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia is opening up about the training it's offering to ensure its newcomers don't end up on the Judicial Qualification Commission of Georgia's list of ethics violaters.
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Meet the New Probate Judges

According to the Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia, the following appointed and elected individuals will be take office as probate judges in January 2025:

1. Judge Gretchen Bailey – Appling County
2. Judge Cameron Boswell – Banks County (b)
3. Judge Amy Whitlock – Barrow County
4. Judge Blake Scoggins – Bartow County (b)
5. Judge Jonathan McMillan – Brantley County (b)
6. Judge Joni Goodwin – Chattahoochee County (b)
7. Judge Mia Wallace – Clay County (b)
8. Associate Judge Atha Pryor – Clayton County
9. Associate Judge Kristin Poland – Cobb County
10. Associate Judge Caroline Freeman – DeKalb County
11. Judge Valerie Vie – Douglas County
12. Judge Will Caudill – Early County
13. Judge David Zittrauer – Effingham County
14. Judge Chase Sherrod – Emanuel County
15. Judge Angela Landgaard – Fayette County
16. Associate Judge Marian Parker – Fulton County
17. Judge Kelly Lanier – Glynn County
18. Associate Judge Crissy Davis – Gordon County (b)
19. Judge Russell Wall – Greene County (b)
20. Associate Judge Elizabeth Strupe – Gwinnett County
21. Associate Judge Mark Loggins – Hall County
22. Judge Kristy Harris – Houston County
23. Judge Jennifer Morris – Johnson County (b)
24. Judge Lewis Patterson – Jones County (b)
25. Judge Victoria Jewell – Lanier County (b)
26. Judge Leighton Taylor – Lincoln County (b)
27. Judge Burke Sherwood – Lowndes County
28. Associate Judge April Cross – Macon County (b)
29. Associate Judge Shannon Neely – Meriwether County (b)
30. Associate Judge Elexus Sisson – Miller County (b)
31. Judge Serless West-Robinson – Mitchell County
32. Judge Stacie Randolph – Montgomery County (b)
33. Judge Robert Brooks – Polk County (b)
34. Associate Judge Shayne Green – Polk County (b)
35. Associate Judge Savannah Dixon – Rabun County (b)
36. Judge Stacy Johnson – Richmond County
37. Judge Kevin Devane – Schley County (b)
38. Judge Kay Perdue – Spalding County
39. Judge Christopher Stephens – Stephens County
40. Judge Shatara Powell – Talbot County (b)
41. Judge Geraldine Fulton – Taliaferro County (b)
42. Judge Jennifer Williams – Taylor County (b)
43. Associate Judge Cindy Thomas – Terrell County (b)
44. Judge Josh Smith – Thomas County
45. Judge Kristin Stanley – Union County (b)
46. Judge Janet Thrift – Ware County
47. Judge Hope Cunningham – Wayne County
48. Associate Judge Kerri Crane – White County (b)
49. Judge Amanda Holder – Wilkinson County (b)

Required Training

Some but not all of the new probate judges are licensed to practice law in Georgia.

A law license is not required for probate judges serving counties with population sizes less than 96,000, per Title 15, Chapter 9, Article 6 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

But licesned or not, each of the new probate judges must attend a new-judge orientation in December prior to taking the bench, according to Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia Executive Director Kevin Holder.

Holder noted that at least 26 of the incoming jurists will also preside over traffic court matters that require their participation in a separate new judge orientation this month.

During the November traffic training, attendees will learn about a variety of topics including "how to handle self-represented litigants and sovereign citizens in the courtroom, GCIC dispositions, ethics and professionalism, legal resources for traffic judges, traffic court basics, probation and sentencing, introduction to the Department of Natural Resources, arraignments and plea deals."

Meanwhile, the December training will cover an equally long list of topics. In addition to detailing "ethics, legal research and writing, mental health/orders to apprehend (OTAs), estates, marriages, vital records [and] ceremonial duties," Holder said the training would educate participants on "weapons carry licenses, minor guardianships, minor conservatorships/compromised claims, adult guardianships and conservatorships and courtroom etiquette and managing attorneys."

Following the training sessions, probate judges are required to complete a mentorship program in which each new judge is assigned a more experienced judge to convey with.

As part of the mentorship program, the paired jurists are required to visit a neutral court, explore court resources and complete a corresponding checklist within 12 months of taking office.