Inspired by Hispanic Heritage Month, we visited with Lynette Jiménez, Senior Staff Attorney for the Georgia State-wide Business Court.
Edited and condensed for clarity.
Noelle Lagueux-Alvarez: ¡Hola, Hermana! We are members of a very small “sorority.” We’re two of the seven women who have served as the Program Director and Staff Attorney for what is now known as the Metro Atlanta Business Case Division (“Metro Business Case Division”).
Lynette Jiménez: ¡Hola! And, yes, that’s right. It’s great to have this mini reunion.
NL-A: Let’s start from the beginning. Please share your educational and professional background with our readers.
Lynette Jiménez: I was one of those annoying kids who always knew that I wanted to become a lawyer. My mom likes to tell family stories about me watching presidential debates—at very young ages—and having concerns about certain issues and asking to write to the President. My parents got a kick out of that and foresaw a legal career in my future.
Personally, I can point back to as early as third grade, when my teacher, Ms. Komar, arranged a Career Day. I vividly remember that our classroom guests included: a dentist, a fireman, a police officer, and an attorney. Once the attorney started speaking, I was mesmerized. He was working hard to engage with us and to get us to understand basic legal concepts. To get the ball rolling, he asked if we knew anything that was against the law. That discussion went well until one kid said, “adultery.” By the look on his face, I bet that man never forgot that answer.
Then, in fourth grade, we were discussing the judicial branch of government, and I asked my teacher whether I could be on the Supreme Court. Ms. Byrd thought I was asking because I’m female and said, “yes, women can serve on the Supreme Court.” I said, “I know, but I’m Puerto Rican. Can I serve?” She looked right at me and said, “I don’t know, Lynette, but I’m going to find out for you.” She tracked me down in the cafeteria during lunch, tapped me on the shoulder, and told me, “I looked it up. You can.”
Fast forward several years. During undergrad at Georgia State, I majored in Spanish and International Business, with a minor in Political Science. I was very interested in both business and law so the summer before my senior year in college, I applied for an internship at a business and an internship at a law firm. The business-focused internship, that was with a construction company, came through first. The very next day, I was invited to interview at the law firm, but I declined since I had already committed to the construction company. God had made the decision for me. That internship was in marketing and business development, and, at the end of the summer, they invited me to continue interning during my senior year. When I graduated, they asked me to stay with the company as a full-time employee. I really liked the company and the work, so I stayed and ultimately worked in marketing, business development, and recruiting for the company.
Five years later, I knew it was time to take the next step in my career and decided to pursue graduate school. My company supported me getting an MBA, which I did through the Professional MBA Program at Georgia State University, Robinson College of Business. I worked during the day, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I took night classes. At that point, I thought, “if I ever want to go to law school, now is the time.” So, that is why the last semester of my MBA program was also my first semester of law school at Georgia State.
NL-A: The charmingly precocious little girl went on to get a J.D. and an M.B.A. I’m not surprised. Where did you go from there?
Lynette Jiménez: During law school, I did an externship with Judge John J. Goger at Fulton Superior, which ended up being transformative for me. When I graduated from law school, Judge Goger offered me a traditional two-year law clerk position. I believe he was the last Fulton Superior Judge who continued to hire “law clerks.” By the time I served in that role, the other judges on the Fulton Superior Bench had generally transitioned to the “staff attorney” or “career law clerk” model. I think Judge Goger saw hiring “law clerks” for two-year tenures was his way to give back to the legal community—giving of his time and experience to invest in young attorneys who would move on every two years—and he’d start the process all over again. I’m very grateful to him for doing that and I think it served the Atlanta legal community well for many years.
NL-A: That is a little historical gem from Fulton. Where did you go after serving in Judge Goger’s chambers?
Lynette Jiménez: I would have stayed with Judge Goger forever, but when the Program Director and Staff Attorney for the Metro Business Case Division decided to leave, both she and Judge Goger strongly encouraged me to apply for the position given my business background. After my initial hesitancy, I applied and was hired. I’m so glad I took their advice.
NL-A: Please talk to us about the Metro Business Case Division.
Lynette Jiménez: It has evolved a great deal since its inception. It started in 2005 as essentially a pilot project approved by the Supreme Court of Georgia and was, at that time, known as the Fulton Superior Court Business Case Division. In 2016, the program was expanded and renamed the Metro Atlanta Business Case Division to allow other metro Atlanta courts to establish their own local business case division. Today, Fulton Superior Court Judge Kelly Lee Ellerbe serves as the Presiding Judge, and she, Judge Goger (now a Senior Judge), and Fulton State Court Judges Eric Richardson and Wes Tailor serve on the Business Case Division for Fulton.
NL-A: What prompted your move from the Metro Business Case Division to the Georgia State-wide Business Court?
Lynette Jiménez: It’s funny, the very first thing I did when I started at the Metro Business Case Division was to walk over to the Capitol to attend a meeting of the Court Reform Council Subcommittee that had been convened by then-Governor Nathan Deal to look into the creation of a statewide business court. During the ramp up to the legislation that was eventually proposed, I met Walt Davis—who was a partner at Jones Day and who would ultimately be appointed by Governor Kemp to serve as the inaugural Judge of the Georgia State-wide Business Court. In early 2020, he, Judge Goger, and I served on a business court panel together. When the time came for Judge Davis to hire a staff attorney, he reached out to me, and the rest is history.
NL-A: What inspires you in your role as Senior Staff Attorney for the Georgia State-wide Business Court?
Lynette Jiménez: I see the need for it. I see the benefit that it brings to Georgia. I see how intricate these cases can be and how much time, energy, and resources they consume. For instance, if a judge only deals with a corporate derivative action once every few years and has to reorient himself or herself to that area of the law every few years, that’s difficult; and that’s just one of the many complex business issues that can come before a court. Having a court that specializes in these business issues leads to greater efficiency and consistency in the application of the law and conserves judicial resources locally, freeing up judges’ time and calendars to deal with other cases. Also, having a court that regularly writes substantive orders addressing these complex business issues helps in the development of business caselaw in Georgia. Our Court has dealt with several novel issues, some of first impression in Georgia, and I’ve been excited to see a few go up on appeal. It helps to settle and bring clarity to the law. That’s good for Georgia’s economy, businesses, business owners, and employees, all of whom benefit by getting greater direction and predictability in terms of the law governing their business arrangements. We also focus on active case management tailored to the needs of each case so that we can get parties through the litigation process and let Georgia businesses get back to business!
NL-A: What do you hope to achieve in your work?
Lynette Jiménez: I go back to something that Judge Davis—inaugural jurist for the Court—said when the Court first opened and to something that Judge Bill Hamrick—our Presiding Judge—continues to emphasize, “we are building this Court not for ourselves, but for the future.” The goal for me and for our entire team at the State-wide Business Court is to create a solid foundation from which the Court can continue to develop, thrive, and serve the people of Georgia. For me, that means focusing on subject matter expertise, efficient case management that’s sensitive to the needs of parties and attorneys, and excellence in legal research and writing so that the Court’s orders are clear and well-reasoned for the parties who are before us in a case and to more broadly inform our Georgia business community.
NL-A: That is such important work. Now, completely shifting gears, please share with us some of the things you like to do in your free time.
Lynette Jiménez: I’m sure you consider that one of your “softball” questions, but that’s a tough one for me. I’m a stereotypical workaholic. It’s just ingrained in me to work hard. That being said, I love babies and animals. My dog is a purebred mutt, named Star, and I’m a very proud “Dog-Mom.” And, of course, I love my family and enjoy just spending time with them.
I also love to travel, and I’m really interested in languages and people. I’ve been fortunate to study abroad several times. I’ve studied in the United Arab Emirates, India, Brazil, and in Eastern Europe. There’s not a country that you could name that I wouldn’t want to visit. I do a trip abroad every Fall with a group of friends. In the queue are: Canada, Ireland, and Scotland.
NL-A: I want to note that as you and I are speaking, it’s Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th to October 15th, so I was wondering if you would share your ethnic heritage with us.
Lynette Jiménez: Absolutely. I was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, which is a city west of the capital, San Juan. When I was young, my dad worked for an airline and he would get transferred between two of its major hubs—San Juan and Atlanta. So, every six months or so, we would get transferred back and forth. When my oldest sister started school, our parents decided that we had to settle somewhere, and they decided that would be in the Atlanta area and my family has been here ever since. I still have many family members in Puerto Rico and I last visited in 2021. Whenever I go back, as soon as I step out of the airport, I take a deep breath, take in the sounds and scents, and I know that I’m “home.” But the amazing thing is that Georgia is equally my “home.” I have so many wonderful memories of our summer “staycations” visiting the zoo, the aquarium, the north Georgia mountains, and the coast. And I love the idea that I can come into the city and have an urban experience with amazing businesses and restaurants and places to go and things to do, and I’m also just minutes away from a working farm and a blueberry field.
NL-A. One final question, you mentioned that you love languages. Do you speak both Spanish and English fluently?
Lynette Jiménez: Yes, I do. However, as with any language, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Even though Spanish was my first language, it has become my second because so much of my life now is in English. But I speak Spanish with my family. I also studied French growing up and like to study the language of any country I’m visiting. It’s interesting that both of my parents earned teaching degrees in Puerto Rico and, upon settling in Georgia, they both eventually became high school Spanish teachers here. They attended school at night at Georgia State to get their Georgia teaching certifications. They are and will always be my role models. In addition to a general love of learning and of languages and cultures, I get my drive from them. I had a front row seat to watch their constant hustle, incredible work ethic, and commitment to our church and local community. And they did all of that while raising a large family with a lot of love and instilling in us a deep appreciation for where we come from, both our Puerto Rican roots and our Georgia home. I appreciate them so much for that and feel very blessed. During Hispanic Heritage Month, you’ll often hear Latinos say, “herencia Latina, corazón Americano,” which means, “Latin heritage, American heart.” It’s not one or the other; it’s both. That sums me up, too.
