Judge John Sumner (ret.) Partner

What Does Family Mean to Me?

Family is everything. It goes beyond DNA and legal documents. It is those you are connected with. They are there for you, and you are there for them. It’s the people in our lives we can turn to in the good times, as well as the hard times.

My Favorite Happily Ever After Divorce® Story

My favorite Happily Ever After Divorce® Story is my own! I met my soulmate and best friend after my first marriage ended. We blended our families and have been blessed with a great life.

Awards

• Public Servant of the Year State of Georgia Child Placement Conference 2007
• Light of Hope 2011 C.A.S.A. (Court Appointed Special Advocate) award Outstanding Protection and Support of Youth in Recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month
• Judicial Enforcement Partnership 2010 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Recognition of The Implementation of Innovative Teen Programs
• Law Enforcement Award 2003 Canton Optimist Distinguished and dedicated service advancing the respect for the law objectives of Optimist International
• Certificates of Appreciation: Georgia Child Advocacy Council 2008; Learn and Serve Project Carmel Elementary School 2006; Boy Scouts of America Cub Scout Twilight Camp 2007

Committees

• Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges
  • President 2015-2016
  • Executive Committee 2012-2017
  • Chair Dependency Committee
  • Chair, subcommittee dependency code rewrite
  • Co-Chair CHINS Committee
  • Member Uniform Rules and Bench Book, Education and
  • Certification, and Court Technology
• State of Georgia Judicial Council 2014-2016
• Georgia Supreme Court Justice for Children Committee
• Northwest Regional System of Care Co Chair: 17 county area addressing child welfare, delinquency, education, and mental health issues for youth
• State Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative Steering Committee 2015-2017
• State Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Program Funding Committee 2017
• Georgia System of Support for CHINS reform 2016-2019
• National Juvenile Justice Reform Champions Convening 2018
• CASA of Cherokee County Board of Directors 2004-2006, Chair 2005
• Hickory Flat Elementary School Council 2004-2006

Lectures/Presentations

National

• Conference of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court
• Judges New York 2017: “Doing the Right Thing and Doing it Right in Juvenile Justice Reform: The Georgia Story” Vera Institute of Justice Status Offense Reform Policy Academy Connecticut 2016: “Avoiding System Involvement for ‘Out of Control Kids”

Law School

• ” Emory College of Law Barton Law and Policy Center – Visiting Scholars in Practice: “The Path to Permanency” 2009 “Status Offender Reform in Georgia” 2017

The Carter Center

• Georgia Mental Health Forum 2018: “Children in Need of Services.”

Judicial Continuing Legal Education

• Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges Conferences:
  • “Case Management: Child Centered Collaborative” 2009
  • “C.A.P.T.A.: Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act” 2009
  • “Reasonable Efforts” 2010
  • “Dependency: A Judge’s Guide to Changes in Foster Care” 2013
  • “CHINS Practice Guide: Bringing Uniformity to the Challenge of At Risk Youth” 2017 “Legislative Update” 2017
  • “Recusal Motions” 2019

State Interagency Conferences

• Georgia Conference on Children and Families 2017: “Prevention, Diversion, and Treatment”
• Georgia CASA Conference 2018: “Ask the Judges Panel Discussion”
• Georgia Child Welfare Summit 2018: “Looking forward in Policy and Practice: Children in Need of Services”
• Georgia Child Welfare Summit 2017: “CHINS: Bringing Uniformity to the Challenge of At-Risk Youth”
• Georgia Child Safety Collaborative Conference 2011: “Differential Response: A National Approach”

Public Service Announcement

• Georgia Supreme Court Justice for Children Committee 2017: “The Positive Impact of D.F.C.S.”

Continuing Education

• Juvenile Court Clerk’s Conference 2014: “A Clerk’s Guide to the Reform Code”