The Atlanta Lawyer February 2017 | Page 22

Superior Court Judge Cynthia Adams — Former Atlanta Bar Summer Law Intern Personifies the American Dream

Superior Court Judge Cynthia Adams — Former Atlanta Bar Summer Law Intern Personifies the American Dream

On February 13 , 2017 , in front of an overflow crowd of family , friends , Judges and elected officials , former Atlanta Bar Association Summer Law Intern Cynthia C . Adams was sworn in at the State Capitol by Governor Nathan Deal to be a Judge on the Douglas County Superior Court . Judge Adams took the bench the next day with a full civil motions calendar .
Judge Adams is the first former Atlanta Bar Association Summer Law Intern to be a Superior Court Judge .
Judge Adams , the youngest of eleven children , came to the United States at age 10 when her family moved to the United States from the Bahamas in hopes of greater opportunities . Her parents Saintilus and Padila instilled in Judge Adams at an early age the importance of hard work , education and faith . Judge Adams excelled in school including Ralph Bunche Middle School and D . M . Therrell H . S . in Southwest Atlanta where she graduated from in 1995 .
Judge Adams was selected to intern in 1993 in the first class of the Atlanta Bar Association Summer Law Internship Program for High School Students . The Atlanta Bar Association formed its Summer Law Internship Program to give students from Therrell High School meaningful summer opportunities in a rigorous , all in program . The Atlanta Bar Association designed the Summer Law Internship Program to achieve three goals :
( a ) to provide a valuable work experience ; ( b ) to further the students ' understanding of the law ; and ( c ) to provide a mentor relationship for the students .
The focus of the Internship Program is to teach the Interns the importance of hard work , confidentiality , professionalism , punctuality , attention to detail , and professional appearance . 2017 will mark the twenty-fifth straight year the Atlanta Bar Association will conduct its Summer Law Internship Program .
A straight line can be drawn from that summer of 1993 when Judge Adams interned in the first Summer Law Internship Program to the special day when she was sworn in as a Douglas County Superior Court Judge .
Judge Adams was a two time Intern in the Atlanta Bar Association Summer Law Internship Program in 1993-1994 wherein she interned with Chilivis , Cochran both summers . She did whatever was asked of her , no matter how mundane , with energy and enthusiasm . During her time with Chilivis Cochran , Judge Adams had the excellent fortune to work with and learn from some of Atlanta ’ s finest lawyers including Nick Chilivis , Gary Grindler , and Tony Cochran .
22 February 2017