Hanson swapping suit for robe as new judgeship beckons | Crime | Macon.com

As a young attorney working at Macon’s Sell & Melton law firm, Jeffrey Hanson wrote in his journal that he wanted to plant a tree to symbolize his career.

Having grown up on Georgia’s coast amid stately oaks draped with moss, Hanson recognized that being a young lawyer working alongside accomplished attorneys was akin to being a sapling in a grove of mature trees.

He views an oak tree as a symbol of integrity. “There’s no shortcut to get to where they are,” the 47-year-old said.

He viewed his mentors as “live oak tree lawyers.”

“That’s what I aspired to be,” Hanson said.

A painting of a live oak that has decorated his office for years will be among the personal belongings he’ll take this week as he moves into a new space at the Bibb County Courthouse.

Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal this month, Hanson is scheduled to be sworn in Wednesday to a new judgeship created to help manage Bibb County’s growing State Court caseload.

via Hanson swapping suit for robe as new judgeship beckons | Crime | Macon.com.