Kevin M. Farmer
Occupation: Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Clayton County DA’s Office
Previous legal experience: Dec 2015 – present: Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Clayton County DA’s Office; August 2011 – November 2015: Senior Attorney, Metro Conflict Defender’s Office (Division of the Georgia Public Defenders Council); January 2002 – July 2011: Private practice, ran own small firm with a focus on civil law, including domestic relations and small business litigation; 1997-2001: Attorney, Fulton County Public Defender’s Office.
What makes you the better candidate to become a judge?
The fact that I have a much more diverse legal and business background makes me the better candidate. My years of practice have been split almost evenly between the public and private sector, and between criminal and civil practice. The majority of my years in civil practice were spent running my own small firm. Practicing throughout the metro area and the state has enabled me to see a diversity of judicial styles. These skills and experiences will enable me to run an efficient and respectful courtroom where rulings will be based on the facts as applied to the law.
Describe a tough legal decision you have faced in your career and where you are proud of the result.
I’ve argued for a directed verdict in favor of a client wrongfully accused of murder and had it granted, effectively finding my client not guilty. I’ve successfully argued against a directed verdict as a prosecutor and had the judge rule in the state’s favor, with the jury ultimately convicting the defendant. Representing the children in a divorce proceeding, I’ve had to recommend that one parent not receive visitation. During all these arguments in different areas of the law, I’ve seen the process the judges have used to arrive at the correct decision, even if was not the popular one.