Creswell to seek judgeship

Published 10:24 pm Sunday, January 17, 2016

Celeste Creswell has announced that she will seek election as a Superior Court judge in the Conasauga Judicial Circuit (Whitfield and Murray counties), to succeed retiring Judge Jack Partain. Qualifying is in March, and the non-partisan election is in May with the primaries.

Born and raised in Whitfield County, Creswell was the 1989 valedictorian of Northwest Whitfield High School and attended Berry College and the University of Georgia School of Law on full academic scholarships. She graduated in the top 10 percent of her law school class and served as Executive Notes Editor of the Georgia Law Review. She received the Berry College Outstanding Alumni Award in 2006 and was selected by her peers as a Mid-South Super Lawyer in 2011 (Rising Star) and 2015 (Super Lawyer).

One of the highlights of her career was being awarded a federal judicial clerkship with the Honorable Curtis L. Collier.

“Judge Collier taught me a great deal about managing a heavy docket of criminal and civil cases efficiently and fairly,” Creswell said. “He always stressed that court personnel, including the judges, are public servants who interact with people at critical moments in their lives. I will follow his lead in promoting civility and professionalism in the courtroom.”

She has spent the last 17-plus years representing individuals and businesses of various sizes in litigating a wide variety of cases, including real estate, breach of contract, false advertising, insurance coverage, trade secret, employee restrictive covenant, unfair competition, fiduciary duty, fraud, unjust enrichment, tortious interference and eminent domain matters. She is also a registered mediator and has assisted parties in resolving several cases in Whitfield County.

Creswell has served on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia, is a member of the Leadership Dalton-Whitfield class of 2009, was appointed to the Dalton-Whitfield County Charter and Consolidation Commission, and has served as president of the Carpet Capital Chapter of the Berry College Alumni Association.

She has pledged as a Westcott Associate of the Whitfield Healthcare Foundation. She has also chaired the Board of the United Way of Northwest Georgia, has been a member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society, and is a member of the Women’s Leadership Council. She currently serves as the moderator (leader) of the deacons at her church, ChristChurch Presbyterian of Dalton. Creswell is a member and serves as deputy general counsel of her law firm, with a focus on ethical issues, and has served as court-appointed counsel in investigating allegations of attorney misconduct.

“I have worked with, litigated against, appeared before, and learned from many fine lawyers and judges over the course of my career. If elected to the Superior Court in my hometown, I will apply the best practices gleaned from my experience over the past 20 years to decide cases fairly, promptly, and according to the governing law,” Creswell said.