By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
APRIL 11, 2023 | GwinnettForum has learned that Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson will have opposition in the Democratic primary in 2024.
On Tuesday at noon, Andrea Alabi of Snellville, a former prosecutor in the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s office when Danny Porter was DA and briefly when Austin-Gatson was in office, will announce that she will seek the district attorney nomination in the 2024 Democratic primary. Ms. Alabi is currently chief assistant solicitor general in the Fulton County Solicitor General’s office.
Ms. Alabi, 41, was born in Baltimore, where her father worked for AT&T before moving to Gwinnett. She attended Sweetwater Middle School and Berkmar High before graduating from Meadowcreek High School. She got a degree in network and communications management from DeVry University. Later she changed her emphasis, and put herself through to graduation from the Pennsylvania State University School of Law.
Her website says that she began her legal career at the Georgia Department of Labor handling employment disputes as an administrative hearing officer. Realizing her passion for litigation, she then worked as a criminal defense attorney representing clients south of the perimeter. As lead attorney, she handled dozens of jury trials, bench trials and motions and hearings.
Alabi
Recognizing the impact that violent crime has on the community, she began work for the Clayton County Solicitor General’s office, and later with the Gwinnett County District Attorney. She ended up as the deputy chief assistant district attorney.
Currently in the Fulton solicitor general’s office, she managed 10 state court trial teams, a jail unit, investigations, the victim support team as well as legal support for District Attorney Danny Porter.
She has over 10 years of prosecutorial experience. She is quoted on her website saying: “Early on, I realized that my passion was for litigation, and have worked as a criminal defense attorney.” She helped educate police recruits on Georgia law, criminal procedure and courtroom demeanor. She has handled over 1,000 cases and over 75 jury trials in her career.
She has extensive volunteer experience with Gwinnett County Public School’s community-based mentoring program. She launched an initiative that joined the DA’s office with local schools to promote social media safety and end cyberbullying.
She is the Immediate Past President of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL)-Gwinnett Chapter. She also previously served on GAWL Gwinnett’s board as vice president (2019) and secretary (2018) and as co-chair of communications with statewide GAWL.
Ms. Alabi served as one of two diversity and inclusion fellows with the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section (2019-2021). Andrea helps educate members of the profession on how diversity impacts the practice of criminal law. Also, she was appointed as co-executive director of Communications and Membership with the American Bar Association-Criminal Justice Section.
Andrea belongs to numerous organizations including the National Black Prosecutor’s Association; GABWA’s National Council of Negro Women-Gwinnett; Stonewall Bar Association; Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association; NAACP of Georgia; Junior League of Gwinnett and North Fulton; and the Pennsylvania State University Alumni Association of Atlanta. She is a member of the New Mercy Christian Church on Five Forks Rod in Lilburn and is a graduate of the 2023 Leadership Gwinnett class. She has one son, Joquain, 14, who is in Snellville Middle School.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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