Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School congratulates Assistant Dean Renata D. Turner, current Magistrate Judge in Fulton County, who has recently been appointed as Fulton County’s next Associate Juvenile Court Judge.
Fulton County Juvenile Court is the largest such court in Georgia and amongst the largest in the Southeast, with over 6,500 cases handled in 2014. In fulfilling the role of an Associate Judge, Judge Turner will hear a variety of court proceedings, conduct adjudications and refer children to the Court’s many diversion and rehabilitative programs, such as The Learning Club, Juvenile Drug Court and Family Dependency Treatment Court.
Judge Turner’s career and leadership at the law school began in 2007 and grew from Associate Professor to Director of Pro Bono Outreach and Externships to her most recent post as Assistant Dean for Pro Bono and Experiential Learning.
Under her leadership, the law school has been recognized and awarded such honors as:
• The Community Outreach Award at the U.S. Attorney’s Office Community Outreach Awards Ceremony (December 2014), for the work done by the law school’s Office of Pro Bono and Experiential Learning.
• Named among the best law schools for practical training (National Jurist, 2014), which is awarded for efforts to provide students with a quality and in-depth variety of pro bono and externship opportunities.
• Ranked among the top 25 law school for externships (preLaw Magazine, 2013), in recognition of maximizing opportunities for students through experiential learning.
“I’m both honored and humbled by this new opportunity- honored to be entrusted with providing justice for our children and humbled by the magnitude of that responsibility,” said Judge Turner about her upcoming role as Associate Judge for Fulton County Juvenile Court.
The Office of Pro Bono Outreach and Experiential Learning will continue to serve the Atlanta community and produce impactful programs, developed over the course of Judge Turner’s career at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School:
- Street Law – Based on the curriculum of the national non-profit, Street Law teaches high school students about constitutional and legal issues that directly impact their lives. The law school partners with the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District and Booker T. Washington High School each spring to teach legal issues to students.
- Youth Law Summit – Day-long workshop presented in partnership with the Gate City Bar Association that introduces minority middle and high school students to the law through an examination of emerging issues.
- Reentry Forum – The law school partners with individuals, agencies and organizations that support prisoner reentry efforts to help formerly incarcerated men and women transition back into society.
Judge Turner currently serves on the Fulton County Child Advocates Board, is a member of the Charles Weltner Family Law Inn of Court, as well as a current member and past president of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA).