AS FEATURED ON
About
Journey with Joyette
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.
Our Services
Joyette Holmes, ESQ joined the providing services within the Litigation Practice Group, as well as all Practice Groups throughout the firm.
Who I am is not the role I play.
Joyette Holmes, ESQ
Treat everyday like a job interview, Give your best even when no one is watching.
Joyette Holmes, ESQ
Be the voice you want to hear.
Joyette Holmes, ESQ
Project 360
While serving in her roles within Cobb County, Holmes created a community-focused program entitled Project Restore 360 (PR 360). From its inception, the purpose of PR 360 has been to bring awareness to the notion that the whole community has a role in improving public safety and advancing criminal justice reform. That obligation does not stop at the walls of the courthouse or the badge of law enforcement – it can start and end with all of us.
© 2021 Journey with Joyette