P.A.D. Webinar Series: How I Became a Judge
Tuesday, February 16th at 8:00 PM Eastern (5:00 PM Pacific)
Are you interested in becoming a hearing officer, magistrate or judge? Join P.A.D. alumni members Judge Andrew Bain, Judge Kim Gallant, and Judge John F. Weaver as they discuss career details on their careers and the path they took to become a judge or hearing officer. During this webinar, they will discuss:
- Career Paths Towards Judgeship
- Required Skills
- “A Day in The Life”
- Networking & Relationship Building
Our Panelists:
Hon. Andrew A. Bain (Cherry Chapter, Orlando Alumni Chapter)
Judge Andrew Bain is from Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. He was an All-American football player in high school which lead him to the University of Miami where he majored in psychology and business law. After a short time in the NFL with the New York Giants, he returned to Florida and began to prepare for law school. He attended Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando where he became a member of Phi Alpha Delta's Cherry Chapter and served as vice justice in his 3L year.
After passing the bar, Brother Bain joined the State Attorneys Office in Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit. After almost seven years as a prosecutor, he invited a few of his judge friends to a P.A.D. event at FAMU and they asked him to apply to the governor to be a judge. After several applications over a year's time, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Brother Bain to to the bench in Orange County, where he would serve as the third African American judge ever to be appointed and the first in 25 years.
Hon. Kimberly Gallant (Russell Chapter, Atlanta Alumni Chapter)
Kim Gallant is a Magistrate Court Judge in Gwinnett, Georgia. Judge Gallant handles matters including felony preliminary hearings, first appearances, warrant applications, civil bench trials, dispossessory proceedings, applications for restraining orders, and weddings. Before taking the bench, she was a staff attorney for four years and a prosecutor for ten years. She received her undergraduate degree in criminal justice from the University of Georgia in 1997 and graduated from Georgia State University College of Law in 2000. She is a past Justice of Russell Chapter.
Before being appointed as District XVII Justice in 2005, she was the district's Assistant District Justice. Judge Gallant was selected as the Stan Jones Outstanding District Justice in 2007. Judge Gallant was elected to serve on the International Executive Board in 2008 and again in 2010. Judge Gallant decided to step down from the IEB after her second daughter was born, but couldn't stay away! She was reappointed as the District XVII Justice. Then, in 2014 and again in 2016, Judge Gallant was elected, once again, to serve on the IEB. Judge Gallant has served on the International Tribunal as an Associate Tribune since 2018.
Hon. John F. Weaver, Jr. (Sanford Chapter, Knoxville Alumni Chapter)
John F. Weaver, Jr. is an Administrative Law Judge, or Hearing Officer, for the State of Tennessee. Brother Weaver hears appeals arising from decisions made by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. The subject matter of those appeals includes family assistance programs, child support, child care center licensing, adult protective services, and fraud arising in any of those areas. Brother Weaver accepted the appointment to his position in 2018.
Brother Weaver attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned his BA and MA in French Language and Literature. He also completed all of the course work towards a PhD in French at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Before beginning his dissertation, Brother Weaver decided to return to Tennessee and enroll in law school. He graduated in 2009 and practiced in the area of family law for nearly a decade. Brother Weaver joined P.A.D. during his 3L year and most recently served as Justice of the Knoxville Alumni Chapter.
