A Farewell Interview with the Honorable Stephen Schuster , Retired Cobb County Superior Court Judge
The Following is an Interview Conducted by an Editorial Board Member and Judge Stephen Schuster .
Q : The Atlanta Metropolitan area legal community is well aware that you chose to retire as an active member of the Cobb County Superior Court bench effective December 31 , 2020 . Before we get into why you made this decision , please tell us something about your background .
A : I received my B . A . in Economics from Tulane University in 1973 and my J . D . from the University of Georgia Law School in 1976 . In terms of my work history , I have used my law degree in six different capacities : first , as a prosecutor in the Cobb Solicitor General ’ s office ; second , as an Assistant Cobb District Attorney under Tom Charron ; third , in private practice for 22 years as a trial lawyer learning from Jimmy Berry and others ; fourth , in 2002 , I was appointed to the Juvenile Court bench in Cobb County ; fifth , in 2004 I ran for and was elected to an
10 July / August 2021 open seat on the Cobb Superior Court where I served for 16 years ; and sixth , in early 2021 I was appointed by Governor Kemp to be the a Senior Judge on the Cobb Superior Court bench . In addition to those roles , I was also very active in the Cobb County Bar Association , including serving as President for a term , as well as spending 14 years on the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia . I have also served in numerous positions in the Business Law Section of the ABA including chairing the Judicial Initiative And Dispute Resolution Subsection .
Q : That ’ s quite a stellar career , and it ’ s not over yet . What made you want to retire as an Active Judge and serve as a Senior Judge instead ?
A : I ’ m 69 years old , and have been told that the best time to retire is between 65 and 75 .
During that 10-year period , one can change one ’ s focus and still accomplish a lot before one wants to just rest and enjoy .
Q : What have you been doing as a Senior Judge ?
A : We now have seven Senior Judges in Cobb Superior Court . We rotate being Presiding Judge every seven weeks . As the Presiding Judge , I do uncontested divorces , emergency hearings , TPO ’ s , stalking cases , URESA cases , adoptions , swearing-in ceremonies , name changes , etc . I also conduct private trials ( similar to arbitrations — Senior Judges can practice only in the areas of mediation , arbitration , and other forms of alternative dispute resolution ).
A lot of litigants do not want to air their problems in public hearings and do not