Tim Lam Challenges for Chief Magistrate

Local attorney Tim Lam is announcing his candidacy for Chief Magistrate of Jasper County.

Mr. Lam came to Monticello in 1989 after his graduation from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. His undergraduate work was at Kennesaw College, where he earned an associate’s and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a double major in economics and finance. After his graduation from John Marshall with a Juris Doctor degree, he set up a general law practice in Monticello in late 1989 and has been practicing here ever since.

“I knew when I got out of law school that I wanted to have my own practice, so I said to myself that I’d hang my shingle and if I made it, then I’d make it; and if I didn’t, I’ll sell hardware at Sears,” says Attorney Lam, only half jokingly.

In his 23 years as a full-time practicing attorney, Attorney Lam has tried a myriad of cases, both civil and criminal. He has picked dozens of juries and been involved in trials that have lasted for days. His vast experience more than qualifies him for the position of Chief Magistrate of Jasper County.

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Mr. Lam and his wife, Janice, have four children: April, who is serving her 16th year in the United States Air Force; Tori, now living in Milledgeville; and Jonathan and Alex, ages 12 and 10, both students at Washington Park Elementary School.

Mr. Lam’s platform is very simple: that the magistrate of Jasper County could, and certainly should, operate as a part-time employee, billing the county only for the hours actually worked rather than billing for 40 hours a week whether that many hours have been put in or not. He pledges, if elected, to do just that, and by doing so, he would certainly save the county—meaning the taxpaying citizens—thousands of dollars a year.

“If it took, say, 28 hours and 19 minutes to do the work in a particular week, then fine, I would bill for that amount of time. If it took 32 hours and 16 minutes the next week, then that’s fine too, I would bill for that. If it took 40 hours to do the work, then I would work those 40 hours and bill for them. But that’s the point; I would only charge and collect for the hours that I actually worked, and not a minute more.” If elected, Mr. Lam promises to be fair, transparent, and, most of all, accessible.

In his spare time (which he admits isn’t very much these days!), he enjoys studying and learning higher mathematics and foreign languages, teaching himself piano, and reading (he averages about a book a week); and at the other end of the spectrum, he loves wearing his overalls, working on small engines, and driving his 1947 John Deere Model B tractor.

Mr. Lam believes that his educational background in college-level economics and finance would serve him well as Chief Magistrate, particularly in the administrative area, and that he could bring some much-needed savings to the county.

“I look forward to the opportunity to serve the citizens of Jasper County as their Chief Magistrate.