Tim Lam Seeks Chief Magistrate Post
Local attorney Tim Lam has announced his candidacy for Chief Magistrate of Jasper County.
“As a practitioner of law for over a quarter of a century, I feel that I am very qualified and quite seasoned in the legal profession to serve as Chief Judge of the Magistrate Court,” said Mr. Lam.
Attorney Lam has served his entire career here in Monticello, setting up practice in town right after being sworn in to the State Bar of Georgia back in 1989. He has tried a wide variety of cases in both criminal and civil areas. He also handles cases which the public defender’s office refers to him when they have conflicts of interest, to make sure that the accused gets a fair trial.
“I have been authorized to practice in all of the state level courts in Georgia, and the Middle District of Georgia federal court,” says Mr. Lam. “I have taken cases before the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court as well.”
Since July of last year Mr. Lam has also served as Solicitor of the Probate Court, prosecuting cases for the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Natural Resources, and the Georgia State Patrol.
“There’s something very gratifying about seeing a law enforcement officer catch, say, a drunk driver, then seeing that person brought to justice with me serving as the representative of the officer in acquiring that conviction. I drive on these roads a lot, as do my family and friends, and knowing that I’ve done something to make these roads just a little bit safer really gives me a good feeling deep down inside.”
After serving in the Atlanta Field Office of the FBI, Attorney Lam earned his associate degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics & Finance from Kennesaw College. He was then awarded a Juris Doctor Degree from John Marshall Law School in June, 1989. He took the two-day long Georgia Bar Exam in July and on a cool late October day he received the news that he had passed it, being sworn in on Halloween, 1989.
Mr. Lam and his wife Janice have four children: April, married with one child and still serving in the Air Force in Hungary; Tori, married with four children; Jonathan, now 16 and Alex, almost 14.
“Adopting and raising two of our grandchildren has been a great thing for us and them. Makes us realize how truly precious family is!”
Mr. Lam enjoys hunting, fishing, riding his John Deere tractor, reading, teaching himself foreign languages and higher mathematics.
“Funny, but when I finally got out of college and law school I thought my studying days were over, and now I do it all the time on my own! I guess once the bug bites you, you crave learning as long as you live.”
Narrowly missing the election for Chief Magistrate in 2012 by only 156 votes, Attorney Lam says that he “would be honored to serve as your next Chief Magistrate of Jasper County. Remember, there are no incumbents in this race, so it’s an open election. I hope we enjoy a great voter turnout!”
