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