ElectWomen Magazine went up close and personal with Phyllis Williams, 2010 candidate for DeKalb State Court Judge in Georgia. 

1.     How difficult is it to balance working with running for political office?

This was a big consideration with respect to making the decision to run for Judge because I am a trial attorney with my own practice.  Being self-employed for over 12 years has been its own challenges balancing between my professional and personal life.  Like any business, running a law practice requires a tremendous commitment to the business of law in addition to the commitment to clients and staff. 

My election will be held on November 2, 2010, so I started early to give myself sufficient time to secure my support and begin fundraising, and hopefully not have to take too much time from work.  I’m currently devoting at 10-15 hours a week to the campaign.   The time that I am spending now does not (significantly) interfere with my responsibilities and obligations to my client and/or the courts.  But, I don’t think that I have had an opportunity to fully appreciate the balance requirements because is it so early in the campaign.  I have been counseled that, as the election date get closer, the time will come when I will have to decide whether to take a leave of absence from my practice. 

2.     What motivated you to run for judge?  Is it something you’ve always wanted to do?  Are there many female judges in your part of Georgia?

I believe that I have always wanted to be a Judge.  When I was in Jr. High School one of my teachers told me that I should be a lawyer because I had the “gift of gab.”  (I suspect that was his way of telling me that I was talking too much in his classroom).  I believe that is when the seed was planted.   After I began practicing and making a name for myself in the legal community, I was approached several times about running for judgeships, and more seeds were planted.  About six years ago I was appointed to be a Hearing Officer for the DeKalb County Merit System.  In that position I preside over employee appeal hearings and issue written decisions.  I began to see and understand what it meant to sit in the seat of a judge, and I also developed a greater appreciation for my fellow trial attorneys as advocates. 

I think my motivation lies is the fact that I love the law and our system of justice.  The public’s confidence in our system of justice is at stake everyday and Judges play a vital role in that system, because how a person is treated when accused of a crime is concrete demonstration of how the law respects human rights.  And, how parties are treated when they are unable to resolve their differences is a wonderful demonstration of our system of peaceful resolution.  

The State Court of DeKalb County has seven (7) judges/divisions and there are two (2) women on the State Court bench.  The Superior Court has ten (10) judges/divisions and there are four (4) women on the Superior Court bench.    

3.     What is the most challenging part of the campaign?

Right now the most challenging part of the campaign is finding enough activities for the volunteers who have signed up.  When I announced that I would be offering myself as a candidate, so many friends and family stepped forward to help and I was inspired and humbled that so many people wanted to help me.  Because it is so early, one of our biggest challenges is keeping the volunteers busy.  There have been times when we have attended events and had more volunteers than event participants.  But I am not complaining.  I hope I have the same challenge next year. 

To read more about Phyllis Williams, visit: http://phyllisrwilliams.com/