This questionnaire/application is submitted in connection with a vacancy on the Gwinnett County Magistrate Court. Attach additional sheets as needed. It can be used for hand written applications or modified to typing in your responses. The legal requirements to become a Gwinnett County magistrate are: (1) (2) (3) (4) Attained 30 years of age. A citizen of state of Georgia for three years. Has been a member of bar for seven years. Has been a resident of Gwinnett County for one year. DATE:___________________ MAGISTRATE COURT APPLICATION & QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Name and Address: Name: Home Address: Home telephone number: Have you been a legal resident of Gwinnett County for at least one year? Have you been a legal resident of the state of Georgia for at least three years? Office Address: Office Telephone number: Email: 2. Give the date and place of your birth. 3. If you are a naturalized citizen, please give the date and place of naturalization. 4. The Gwinnett Magistrate Court conducts court operations year-round, inclusive of nights, weekends and national holidays. Please initial each of the types of calendars that you would be willing to work: I AGREE TO WORK: I CANNOT/PREFER NOT TO WORK: _____ Normal business hours, weekdays. _____ Normal business hours, weekdays _____ Evenings. _____ Evenings. _____ Evening shifts at jail (14 hours) _____ Evening shifts at jail (14 hours) _____ Weekends (Day or night) _____ Weekends (Day or night) _____ National Holidays _____ National Holidays MAG 25-28 MAGISTRATE APPLICATION.DOC American LegalNet, Inc. www.USCourtForms.com 4. If applicable, indicate the periods of your military service, including the dates, and the branch in which you served, your rank or rate, and your serial number. 5. List each college and law school you attended, including the dates of attendance, the degree awarded, and your reason for leaving each school if no degree from that institution was awarded. School 6. Date Entered Date Left Degree Reason for leaving (if applicable) List all courts before which you are presently admitted to practice, including the year of admission in each case. Court Date of Admission 7. List all bar associations and professional societies of which you are a member and give the titles and dates of any offices which you have held in such groups. List also chairs of any committees in bar associations and professional societies, and memberships on any committees which you believe to be of particular significance. Do you hold any offices, or are you a member of any organization(s), which may cause a conflict with the Judicial Canons of Ethics? (i.e., political, PAC, legal advocacy groups, etc.) 8. Have you published any legal books or articles? If so, please list them, giving the citations and dates. MAG 25-28 MAGISTRATE APPLICATION.DOC American LegalNet, Inc. www.USCourtForms.com 9. List any professional honors, prizes, awards, or other forms of career recognition which you have received. 10. Are you actively engaged in the practice of law at the present time? If you are connected with a law firm, a corporate law department or a governmental agency, please state its name and indicate the nature and duration of your relationship. 11. What is the general character of your practice/government office? Indicate any legal specialties which you possess. If the nature of your practice has been substantially different at any time in the past, give the details, including the character of such and the periods involved. 12. If in the past you have practiced in other localities or have been connected with other law firms, corporate law departments or governmental agencies, please give the particulars, including the locations, the names of the firms, corporate law departments or agencies and your relationship thereto, and the relevant dates. Indicate also any period in the past during which you practiced alone, if applicable. 13. Describe your work history & accomplishments, other than trial practice, during the past five years in some detail as it may relate to office and business practices, as well as any other phases of your work. MAG 25-28 MAGISTRATE APPLICATION.DOC American LegalNet, Inc. www.USCourtForms.com 14. Are you presently acting in a fiduciary capacity? If so, state details. 15. After age 25, have you ever been engaged in any occupation, business or profession other than the practice of law? If so, please give the details including dates. 16. Do you presently hold judicial office, or have you in the past held any such office? If so, give the details, including the court or courts involved, whether elected or appointed, and the period(s) of service. 17. Have you ever held public office, or have you ever been a candidate for such an office? If so, give the details, including the offices involved, whether elected or appointed, and the length of your service. 18. Have you read and carefully studied the Code of Judicial Conduct? (Please complete the judicial ethics Aquiz, MAG 25-33?) 19. Will you adhere to the letter and the spirit of such Code should you be appointed as judge? 20. Have you ever been a party or otherwise involved in any other legal proceedings? If so, give the particulars. Do not list proceedings in which you were merely a guardian and litem, stakeholder or attorney of record. MAG 25-28 MAGISTRATE APPLICATION.DOC American LegalNet, Inc. www.USCourtForms.com 21. Have you ever been arrested, charged, or held by federal, state or other law-enforcement authorities for violation of any federal law, state law, county or municipal law, regulation or ordinance? If so, please give details. Do not include traffic violations for which a fine of $100.00 or less was imposed. 22. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics or unprofessional conduct by, or been the subject of a complaint to, any court, administrative agency, bar association, disciplinary committee, or other professional group? If so, please give the particulars. 23. What is the present state of your health? Do you have any physical or mental impairment which would affect your ability to carry out the duties of the office of Magistrate? 24. Do you have any computer or foreign language skills that would be useful in the performance of this job? Please be advised that all magistrate judges must be able to use computers. Basic computer literacy is a vital component of our work. 25. What are your career goals and future aspirations? How would serving in Magistrate Court help facilitate those goals and aspirations? Why do you want to serve in the Magistrate Court of Gwinnett County? 26. You are requested to execute and transmit to the Magistrate Court Selection Committee two copies of the form of Authorization for Access to Information Concerning Disciplinary Matters included with this questionnaire. (See attached.) MAG 25-28 MAGISTRATE APPLICATION.DOC American LegalNet, Inc. www.USCourtForms.com PART -TIME MAGISTRATE APPLICANTS 27. There are unique dynamics affecting applicants for part-time magistrate court positions, which I feel compelled to address in writing because they become frequent sources of problems, frustrations and disillusionment. Thus, they are best addressed now. (Please initial each section after reading.) _____ A.. _____ B. Under the Judicial Canon of Ethics, Advisory Opinions, a part-time magistrate cannot appear in any case in the Gwinnett magistrate court or in any proceeding in which another magistrate is acting as the designated judge in another court. This tends to cause a severe financial hardship to practicing lawyers who have a domestic relations practice as magistrate routinely conduct family violence cases and hear a number of domestic relations cases in superior courts. _____ C. A part-time magistrate is not eligible to be on the court administered appointed counsel list. Furthermore, a part-time magistrate with a successful criminal practice tends to suffer financially because of conflicts and the inability to use this particular part-time magistrate to handle contested committal hearings. _____ D. The part-time magistrate position is designed as a Apart-time@ job. It does not pay enough on an hourly basis to be a full-time source of income, there are no employee fringe benefits and scheduling is sporadic as needs arise and regress. _____ E. Part-time magistrates regularly conduct contested criminal matters. Therefore, it is an inherent conflict for p.t. magistrates to be engaged in a primarily criminal practice or to accept appointed cases within this circuit. By initially this provision the applicant represents that applicant will not engage in a primarily criminal defense law practice within this circuit, if appointed. While a small portion of retained criminal cases is acceptable, but must be reasonably limited. Furthermore the p.t. magistrate must recuse oneself from any acting as a judge in contested hearings involving any ADA or law enforcement officer against whom the magistrate has pending criminal defense cases. _____ F. Our court is open 365 days per year. All magistrates and p.t. magistrates are required to work at least one holiday shift per year. _____ G. 28. In my opinion, becoming a part-time magistrate is a very poor route to becoming a full-time magistrate. If this is your ultimate goal, please reconsider applying now. While I am always looking for excellent full-time magistrates, other avenues would be more successful to you. In the history of this court, the only part-time magistrates who have ever become full-time magistrates in a competitive application process have also been superior court law clerks. The full-time magistrates work primarily for superior court. They are appointed by myself and the superior court judges. If you really want to be strongly considered for a full-time magistrate position, you should regularly try cases in superior court or work in superior court. That is my best recommendation to you. A part-time magistrate position by its very nature tends to limit superior court trials. If you really want to become a full-time magistrate apply for that position when it comes open, consider trying as many superior court cases as is possible or consider applying for a law clerk position in superior court. You may be required to work an Aall night@ shift prior to court proceedings connected with your private law practice. Typically, the trial courts in this circuit will not grant you a continuance due to your duties in this court. Our court operates virtually 24 hours/day, seven days/ week. I try to hire p.t. magistrates whose availability meets my current scheduling needs. Over the years I have passed over some well qualified p.t. magistrate applicants because they were not reasonably available for the hours I needed judges. The nature of part-time judicial work is that the schedule of the applicant must match the position openings . Prior applicants who tried to change their law practices or personal demands were usually short-term judges. Please give me an honest assessment of the hours that you would be consistently available to work. Please initial those hours in the grid below. MAG 25-28 MAGISTRATE APPLICATION.DOC American LegalNet, Inc. www.USCourtForms.com Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Day-shift jail 8 AM – 6 PM All night shift at jail. 6 PM to 7:30 AM Desk Duty – GJAC 8:30 – 5:30 PM Jail Pleas 1 PM to 5 PM Desk Duty – GJAC 8:30 – 5:30 PM TPO 8 AM – Noon Desk Duty – GJAC 8:30 – 5:30 PM TPO 8 AM – Noon Desk Duty – GJAC 8:30 – 5:30 PM TPO 8 AM – Noon Desk Duty – GJAC 8:30 – 5:30 PM TPO 8 AM – Noon Day Shift jail 8 AM – 5:30 PM All night shift at jail. 6 PM to 7:30 AM Civil 1 PM to 5 PM Committal hearings 8:30 AM – noon Jail Pleas 1 PM – 5 PM Jail Pleas 8 AM – Noon Committal hearings 8:30 Noon Jail Pleas 1 PM – 5 PM Jail Pleas 8 AM – Noon First App’s. 6 – 8 PM Landlord Tenant 6 PM – 10 PM All night shift at jail. 6 PM to 7:30 AM Committal Hearings 1:30 PM – 5 PM TPO’S 1 PM – 5 PM TPO’S 1 PM – 5 PM Civil 6 PM – 10 PM. First App’s. 6 – 8 PM First App’s. 6 – 8 PM First App’s. 6 – 8 PM All night shift at jail. 6 PM to 7:30 AM Warrant Applications 6 PM – 10 PM All night shift at jail. 6 PM to 7:30 AM Committal Hearings 1:30 PM – 5 PM TPO’S 1 PM – 5 PM All night shift at jail. 6 PM to 7:30 AM All night shift at jail. 6 PM to 7:30 AM Conversely, I try not to hire part-time magistrates who have apparent, or realistic conflicts with calendar needs. A part-time job has to be a symbiotic relationship meeting the needs and expectations of the court and prospective applicant. Applicant's Signature Date: MAG 25-28 MAGISTRATE APPLICATION.DOC American LegalNet, Inc. www.USCourtForms.com STATE OF GEORGIA COUNTY OF _________________________________ The undersigned, being an applicant for appointment by the Chief Magistrate of Gwinnett County, to a position of judge in the Magistrate Court of Gwinnett County, and being fully cognizant of the responsibility to the public, the Bench and the Bar of this State, lodged with the Magistrate Court Selection Committee in the selection of persons to be submitted for any such appointment, do hereby: 1 . Authorize the State Bar of Georgia and its Disciplinary Board (and the disciplinary authority of any other state in which the undersigned may have practiced law) and/or the Judicial Qualifications commission of the State of Georgia to answer any inquiries, questions or interrogatories concerning the undersigned which may be submitted to them by the Magistrate Court Selection Committee or its authorized representative, and to give full and complete information regarding the undersigned in any of their files and to permit said Committee or its authorized representative to inspect and makes copies of any documents, records and other information concerning the undersigned and any complaint which might have been made against the undersigned at any time whatsoever; 2. Release and exonerate the Chief Magistrate, the State Bar of Georgia, and the Magistrate Court Selection Committee, Judges of the Superior Court of Gwinnett County, and every other person, firm, officer, corporation. association, organization or institution which might be involved in complying with, or receiving information under, the authorization and request made herein from any and all liability of every nature and kind growing out of or in any wise pertaining to compliance with this authorization and request. IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned applicant has set his/her hand and seal this day of , 200 . _________________________________________________________ (Print Name): ______________________________________________ Date of Birth: Subscribed before me this State Bar Number: ______________________ day of 200 . ___________________________________________________ Notary Public My Commission Expires: MAG 25-28 MAGISTRATE APPLICATION.DOC American LegalNet, Inc. www.USCourtForms.com