Judge Asha Jackson Speaks at October FLS Breakfast

The Family Law Section welcomed DeKalb County’s newest Superior Court judge, Asha Jackson, as the guest speaker for the October breakfast meeting. Judge Jackson began her speech by acknowledging that she is not wedded to any calendaring system, but is currently guided by what she learned in her days as a law clerk for Judge Hancock. Judge Jackson stated that her system for scheduling cases is still a work in progress and she is open to questions and criticisms from members of the bar. She is committed to giving hearing dates and she acknowledged that she will give special settings, if requested.

Regarding her expectations of attorneys who practice in her courtroom, Judge Jackson acknowledged that she is “a little Type A,” which leads her to expect lawyers to be prepared. In the family law context, that means she expects updated Child Support worksheets and Domestic Relations financial affidavits to be exchanged by the attorneys prior to trial. She also explained her view on discovery – that there should be no “hiding the ball.” In the event of a discovery dispute, she encouraged resolution of the issue via telephone, stating that she tries to be available by phone and email as much as possible.

Judge Jackson said she understands that often in family law cases people just need to vent. She does not find it difficult, at least thus far in her judicial career, to listen to people’s emotions. She tries very hard to be patient with pro se litigants who appear before her, and she encourages attorneys to be patient with pro se parties on the other side of a case.

Volunteer of the Month Award Presented
Before Judge Jackson’s speech, Sheila Ogletree, executive director of the DeKalb Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, presented DVLF’s “Volunteer of the Month” award jointly to Kyla S. Lines of Pachman Richardson, LLC, and M. Debra Gold. Lines and Gold were recognized for their efforts in organizing a Guardian ad Litem training earlier this year, which was co-sponsored by DVLF and the Family Law Section of the DeKalb Bar Association. Ogletree acknowledged that, thanks to the training, she has plenty of volunteers to fill requests for Guardians ad Litem for family law cases pending before the Superior Court.

For more information . . .
Anyone practicing family law in DeKalb County is encouraged to visit the Family Law Section’s page on the DeKalb Bar website. The page includes valuable information regarding each DeKalb County judge’s preferences for dealing with a variety of calendaring and procedural issues.