Lawyer,
Community Leader,
Speaker

Joyette Holmes, ESQ is a trusted and resilient public servant who has served the Cobb County community faithfully as an attorney, judge, and catalyst for criminal justice reform.

Throughout Holmes’ legal career she has been most notably known for her uncompromising excellence in her representation of the court system no matter what position she served in. Her many accolades speak to her character, integrity, and high ethical standards – all qualities that led to her rise within the legal profession as a trailblazer. Joyette Holmes, ESQ would become the first African American and woman to serve as Chief magistrate judge and district attorney in Cobb County.
Holmes was born and raised in Valdosta, Georgia by her late father retired Air Force Master Sargent Eddie Smith Jr. and mother retired Registered Nurse Greta Smith. Joyette Holmes, ESQ would grow up having the importance of hard work and service instilled in her before heading off to college. Joyette Holmes, ESQ went on to attend The University of Georgia (UGA). Earning two undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She later earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Holmes later returned to Georgia where she served as an Assistant Solicitor General prosecuting misdemeanor offense. She would later open and operate her own firm, The Law Office of Joyette Holmes, ESQ. Her desire to serve her community through the firm led her to assist the Cobb County Chapter of the NAACP in reviewing cases where people or their families believed they were being unlawfully or unreasonable held in custody. Joyette Holmes, ESQ would also take on the representation of people charged with criminal offenses who could not afford to hire an attorney through court appointments. After the 2013 start of a new administration in the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, Joyette Holmes, ESQ was asked to serve as an Assistant District Attorney to bring a diverse perspective and balance necessary to ensure the appropriate handling of those cases. Her work in the legal community and the community at large led to her selection as the Chief Magistrate Judge for the Cobb Judicial Circuit in 2015. Joyette Holmes, ESQ was then elected in 2016 to serve a full term. While serving as the Chief Magistrate Judge, Joyette Holmes, ESQ also served the State of Georgia as the Vice President of the Council of Magistrate Court Judges.