IN THE PROFESSION undergraduate studies . Justice Sears began law school at Duke University , but married a West Point graduate . She then left Duke and started law school at Emory University . Justice Sears graduated in 1980 and started working at a firm that is currently known as Alston & Bird LLP .
Justice Sears ’ career on the bench began in a somewhat informal setting . She was at a cocktail party with the daughter of Andy Young , the then mayor of Atlanta , when she asked his daughter to ask Young to appoint her to the traffic court bench . Justice Sears loved her first job as a judge . She knew she wanted to a judge , but she did not prefer traffic court cases .
Around that time , a vacancy opened on the Fulton County Superior Court . Justice Sears had two children at the time . When discussing the vacancy with her husband , Justice Sears ’ husband told her that he believed she would never run for the seat because women do not take risks . Enraged , Justice Sears decided to run . She won the seat in a runoff and became the first woman on the Fulton County Superior Court bench .
Three years later , Zel Miller , then governor of Georgia , appointed her to the Georgia Supreme Court . Justice Sears was 36-years-old , and the next youngest justice was in their mid-forties . She remembers that the Chief Judge was very welcoming . While she enjoyed her time on the Court , Justice Sears remembers that she felt a lot of pressure when she was on the bench . As an African-American woman , Justice Sears felt she could not fail because it would be held against her . Justice Sears knew she was an experiment , and if she did not succeed , it would take years for another African-American woman to be appointed to the Court .
Her time on the Georgia Supreme Court was not without it challenges . Justice Sears was opposed in every election . In one particular election , the governor and the Christian Coalition were involved . Justice Sears , however , retained her seat every time . Though the elections were challenging , Justice Sears noted that in each race she won more and more votes . Other than running her ragged , the elections were only giving her more power .
Justice Sears also discussed her recommendations to young lawyers . She noted that too often young lawyers write for themselves or other lawyers . They forget that they are writing to a judge , a generalist that does not know the ends and outs of their specific area of law without research . Young lawyers also try to write for their clients and end up adding unnecessary legal issues . On appeal , the issues should be narrow . There are rarely six reversal errors during a trial . She believes that oral argument can be important or not , depending on the case and the judge . Most judges attend oral argument with their minds made up , but oral argument can change their minds . The majority of judges have read the briefs by oral argument . Justice Sears remembered a white paper by the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers that found that some judges are auditory learners . The auditory learners need oral argument .
Justice Sears also commented on how COVID-19 has changed the practice of law . She is not opposed to Zoom depositions or proceedings . She believes that it has changed the practice of law for good . While she does prefer the feel of being in person , she believes that a case could be tried over Zoom .
Even though Justice Sears has had an illustrious career on the bench , her favorite part of her career is now . She is currently working at a law firm with a varied practice . She mostly does appeals , which is not surprising , but she also conducts internal investigations . In addition , Justice Sears has a thriving mediation and arbitration practice . Her favorite part of her work is mentoring young people . She loves the opportunity to impart her knowledge on a new generation .
When asked what she wanted her legacy to be , Justice Sears stated that she wants people to say that she tried her best . She ran her portion of the relay race , and she ran it fast and true . A legacy she has undoubtedly already earned .
Be on the lookout for more great CLEs from the Atlanta Bar !
View our Atlanta Bar calendar to stay in the know with all events , CLE ' s , and more !
atlantabar . org
PHOTO CREDIT : NEW GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA www . atlantabar . org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 13