COVINGTON, Ga. — Tami Wells Thomas will be sworn in next week as the next part-time judge in Newton County Magistrate Court.

Chief Magistrate Melanie M. Bell selected Wells Thomas to succeed Judge Kim D. Degonia, who resigned after 10 years when her family moved to Columbus.

Wells Thomas will be sworn in at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, at the Newton County Judicial Center.

“Her extensive legal experience and commitment to the community will make her an excellent addition to the Magistrate bench,” Bell said.

Wells Thomas owns her own business and consumer law practice in Covington, specializing in bankruptcy cases. She received her bachelor’s degree in political Science from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1997. 

In addition to her experience as an attorney, Wells Thomas is an educator who serves as an adjunct professor at Atlanta Technical College and Georgia State University.

She is active in the community as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Springfield Baptist Church. She serves on the board of directors of the YMCA and is past president and current treasurer of NewRock Legal Society.

Wells Thomas lives in Newton County with her husband, Mark, and her two children, Nathan and Grace.