By Nate Maloof
“Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly” is the text engraved on a bracelet worn by Alison Sosebee on her right wrist every day when she leaves home. The small, silver bracelet was gifted to her by a friend and would not usually catch one’s eye. However, the engraving comes from a Bible verse found in Micah 6:8. Ms. Sosebee explained the text on the bracelet admiringly as “a good reminder to always try and do the right thing, even if that is not the easiest route to take, to extend compassion in those situations that you have the ability to do so like you would want compassion extended to you, and to not be arrogant in your interactions with others.” Whether she is trying a case in the courtroom, presenting cases to the grand jury, working in one of her offices, or simply grocery shopping, she says it is a good philosophy for approaching things in life.
Alison Sosebee is the District Attorney for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, comprised of Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens counties. “I have always wanted to be a lawyer for as long as I could remember, and it is one of the most honorable professions that someone could do,” said Ms. Sosebee on her decision to be an attorney. Ms. Sosebee has served as the district attorney for over ten years and is currently serving her third term, with the last two elections being uncontested. Regarding the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, Ms. Sosebee is the first and only female district attorney to serve in the circuit.
Alison Sosebee is an Appalachian local born and raised in Fannin County, Georgia. She graduated from Fannin County High School in 1995 and, during high school, was dual-enrolled at Truett-McConnell College. After high school, Ms. Sosebee attended the University of Georgia. During her undergraduate studies, she interned for David Ralston during his tenure as a member of the Georgia Senate. Also, she worked on Ralston’s campaign as the Republican nominee for Georgia Attorney General in 1998. She ultimately graduated from UGA in three years, earning her B.A. in political science with summa cum laude honors.
On her 21st birthday, Ms. Sosebee began her studies at the University of Georgia School of Law. Ms. Sosebee described her first year of law school to be intense. She solemnly said, “At UGA, the entire class was assigned to be in group X, Y, or Z, and every class for the first year of law school, every group took class together, and I was group X.” During the first year of law school, core classes were required to be completed before reaching higher-level classes. Ms. Sosebee also mentioned the difficulty of the first year and humorlessly described it as the “weeder” year. She stated, “they want to weed out all of those people that are not dedicated and do not want to put in the time and effort.”
Beyond the first year of law school, Ms. Sosebee recounted her studies, explaining, “The second and third years allow for more latitude when it comes to choosing courses.. .there are still certain classes you have to take, but you do not have to take classes with your assigned group anymore.” More freedom allows for more responsibility, and those who cannot maintain a sense of responsibility and accountability will flunk. Therefore, a higher sense of self-dedication is required to study a prestigious subject such as that required for a Juris Doctorate.
The difference between law school and attaining her bachelor’s degree, Ms. Sosebee described as a big change from college because, in law school, the final was the only grade you would receive for the course. So, if you did not do well on the final, you did not do well with your overall grade.” The challenges of law school and earning a Juris Doctor can be ruthless; however, those who can conquer the difficulties and complete their degree receive a different kind of respect. In 2001, Ms. Sosebee obtained her Juris Doctorate from UGA and immediately sat for the bar exam to obtain her license to practice law in the State of Georgia.
While her educational background is high-end and impressive, her references and experience back-up her knowledge. After graduation from law school, Ms. Sosebee accepted a position as a law clerk for Appalachian Judicial Circuit Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda S. Weaver. After obtaining her bar license, she went into private practice with a firm in Jasper, Georgia.
In 2006, she began her law office and said, “at the time I established my practice in Blue Ridge, I was living in Fannin County, I had just had a baby, and I wanted to be closer to home.” She continued that she felt that it was an appropriate step for her and her family at that time and said, “I was very fortunate when I opened my practice in Blue Ridge because I had previously worked as an associate in the law office of George Weaver and because George had such an excellent practice, I was able to gain experience, establish my reputation and build a client base while I worked for him.”
When it came to establishing her law practice, there were many decisions and challenges to face to which Ms. Sosebee said frankly, “Practicing law in Blue Ridge, and any rural area, is different than practicing in a more metro setting because in practicing in a small area you are typically more generalized in the areas you practice, as opposed to focusing on a specialty. In private practice, I handled cases in several areas of the law, including criminal defense, domestic work, and civil litigation. My practice was approximately 90% litigation-based as opposed to transactional work.” During this time, she also held positions including the city attorney for the municipalities of McCaysville and East Ellijay and Juvenile Court Judge ProTem for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit.
During this time in private practice, Ms. Sosebee decided to run for District Attomey of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit against a two-term incumbent. Although prosecution was not a foreign concept to her, as she had previously served as a solicitor in the municipal courts for the cities of Ellijay and McCaysville, it was Ms. Sosebee’s experiences as a criminal defense attorney that led her to seek that position. The district attorney is the chief law enforcement officer for the circuit, and it is ultimately the district attorney that determines if cases will be prosecuted and how those cases will be handled. As for her reasoning for seeking office: “At the time I decided to run for district attorney, I was handling a lot of cases as a criminal defense lawyer. During that time, I became very concerned not only as a defense attorney representing clients but also as an officer of the court in the manner that the then district attorney was evaluating and prosecuting cases. It appeared at the time, among several issues, that cases were being selectively prosecuted.” In explaining her decision, she “made the determination to run for that office to make a change.”
On January 1, 2013, Ms. Sosebee took office as District Attorney of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit; this was Ms. Sosebee’s first foray into politics. She said, “When I ran for district attorney, this was the first public office I had ever sought.” She summarized that some of her challenges in running a multi-county campaign were “to establish name recognition and a voter base, particularly against an incumbent. I was very fortunate to have the support of the community and other incumbent elected officials in these counties. And that was a key part in having a successful campaign.”
Over the time spent in this position, she has developed a sense for the job and stated happily, “It is one of the best decisions I have ever made because not only do I have the privilege to work with law enforcement, but that I can seek justice for our victims and work for our community.” As district attorney, she prosecutes various cases, including anything from a speeding ticket to a capital murder case. In addition, Ms. Sosebee has handled numerous non jury and jury trials, including murder, rape, armed robbery, and aggravated child molestation cases. She and her team spend countless hours not only evaluating cases and prosecuting these matters in court but also working to ensure that the victims of these crimes receive justice. Currently, she and her team are preparing to begin a murder trial that has received international news coverage.
As to what the future holds in store, Ms. Sosebee said thankfully, “In terms of the future of my career, I will go where God leads me. I love the position I am in. I am proud of what our team and the District Attorney’s office have accomplished.” Ms. Sosebee is a role model for what people should strive to accomplish. The idea of “Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly” engraved on the bracelet on Mrs. Sosebee’s wrist represents her mindset as a public servant and is an ideal that may serve us all in our current “cancel-culture” society. She wears this bracelet everywhere, from an office to a convention, Grand Jury to the courtroom. It represents her ideas and her vow as an Attorney of the Law and one that represents the State of Georgia.
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of personality profiles written by students in Jodi Williams’ English 1101 class at the University of North Georgia Blue Ridge campus. Each story is a first hand account of a local person who has made an impact on the author. As you read these stories, you will hear of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.