To commemorate the first summer of the Summer Law Internship Program, the Atlanta Bar Association prepared a yearbook and requested each supervisor and Intern to provide a remembrance. Gary Grindler observed the following about Judge Adams in 1993:
After graduating from Therrell High School, Judge Adams did her undergraduate studies at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. She then undertook her legal studies at The University of Georgia School of Law, graduating May 18, 2002.
judge pro tempore in Juvenile Court and having her own firm.
As she progressed through her career, Judge Adams stayed in frequent touch with and sought the advice of her mentors including
“ Cynthia did an outstanding job this past summer at our firm. She was hard working, determined and enthusiastic. Working in a law firm can be an intimidating experience. Cynthia was determined to do a good job and followed through to make sure that she did so. She was not afraid to share her views on the matters she worked on and always demonstrated a high degree of selfconfidence. Everyone at Chilivis & Grindler enjoyed having Cynthia at the firm this summer.”
After her internship in 1993, Judge Adams wrote the following as a then 16 year old:
“ Working as a law intern this summer has given me confidence that my dreams of being a lawyer will someday become a reality. With the help of my mentor and the many friends I have acquired over the summer, I have learned that working hard is the key to success.”
As a teenager, Judge Adams began to master the formula one must travel to be a success: hard work + education + belief in oneself + opportunity + support = dream fulfilled. Judge Adams would not have become a Superior Court Judge if she had not checked those boxes. But there is a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears between a dream and its reality.
The cover of The Atlanta Lawyer June / July 2009 Issue. L-R: Nekia Hackworth Jones, Claude C. Davis II, Rhea Smith Johnson, Darius T. Pattillo, and Cynthia C. Adams.
After law school, Judge Adams had an outstanding and varied career that included serving as a prosecutor in Dekalb County under District Attorney Gwen Keyes, serving as a
Comer Yates, Natasha Silas and Wade Malone. They each would certainly say that Judge Adams did not need much mentoring as she traveled her legal path.
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER 23