Georgia has three new judges.

Governor Nathan Deal today tapped Charles Beaudrot Jr., a senior partner in Morris, Manning & Martin’s tax practice, to be the state’s first administrative law judge for the newly created Georgia Tax Tribunal.

Beaudrot earned his law degree from Harvard University and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1976. He has been a frequent speaker on tax issues for groups such as the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accoutnants, the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Georgia and the Georgia Real Estate Tax Conference, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

The state Legislature approved the independent tribunal, housed under the executive branch, via the passage of House Bill 100 last session. The tribunal will handle taxpayers’ disputes with the state Department of Revenue.

According to HB 100, the tribunal’s administrative law judge is a full-time, statewide position that carries a four-year term.

Deal chose Beaudrot from a short list created by his Judicial Nominating Commission. The others on the list were Saylor Law Firm partner Jullian Fortuna and state Department of Revenue Director of Tax Policy Frank O’Connell.

To fill a newly created judgeship in the Piedmont Circuit Superior Court, Deal chose McLocklin & Murphy managing partner Wayne McLocklin.

McLocklin earned his law degree from the University of Georgia and was admitted to the bar in 1984. He has been active in the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce and the Oconee River Soil and Water Conservation District.

The Legislature approved the new judgeship last session with the passage of Senate Bill 356, which followed the Judicial Council of Georgia’s recommendation to add judges to the Piedmont and Bell-Forsyth Circuit Superior Courts because of case load and population growth. The governor has not yet named a judge to the Bell-Forsyth Circuit, but the JNC has recommended Forsyth County Solicitor-General Leslie Case Abernathy and Forsyth County State Court Chief Judge Philip Smith.

Also on the JNC’s short list for Piedmont was sole practitioner Wanda Barnett.

Deal also named R. Michael Gailey Jr. to fill the seat on Putnam County State Court vacated by the appointment of Enis Trenton Brown III to the Ocmulgee Circuit Superior Court in September.

Gailey is the Putnam County solicitor-general  and a partner at the Gaily Law Firm in Lake Oconee. He also serves as solicitor for the Morgan County Magistrate Court and Eatonton Municipal Court.

Gailey earned his law degree from the John Marshall Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1996.

The JNC did not recommend any other candidates for the Putnam County State Court seat.

Contributor: Kathleen Baydala Joyner in Judges, Judicial Nominating Commission | subscribe to rss |   share