For Immediate Release

Thursday, August 14, 2008
Amy Radley Named 2008 Assistant Solicitor-General of the Year  

Amy Millard Radley, chief assistant solicitor-general for Forsyth County, has been named the 2008 Assistant Solicitor-General of the Year by the Georgia Association of Solicitors-General. The announcement was made on Sunday, July 27, 2008 at the 48 th Annual Summer Conference held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center on Jekyll Island, Georgia, and sponsored by the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council.

During the opening session of the conference, four outstanding members of the prosecutorial community were recognized. Benjamin S. Richardson, solicitor-general of Muscogee County was selected as the 2008 Solicitor-General of the Year and Radley was named Assistant Solicitor-General of the Year. The District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia recognized Spencer Lawton Jr. of the Eastern Judicial Circuit as District Attorney of the Year and Allison Mauldin, assistant district attorney for the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit, was named the 2008 Assistant District Attorney of the Year.

Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Radley lives in Marietta, Georgia and serves Forsyth County. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Richmond in 1997 and University of Virginia School of Law in 2000. Radley completed a judicial clerkship from 2000-2001, was an associate from 2001-2003, and became an assistant solicitor-general in early 2003.

To describe the role of a prosecutor, Radley quoted from former United States Attorney General Robert H. Jackson—
a quote used during the awards ceremony that seemed so fitting to her. “The qualities of a good prosecutor are as elusive and as impossible to define as those which mark a gentleman,” remarked Jackson. “…Sensitiveness to fair play and sportsmanship is perhaps the best protection against the abuse of power, and the citizen’s safety lies in the prosecutor who tempers zeal with human kindness, who seeks truth and not victims, who serves the law and not factional purposes, and who approaches his task with humility.”

“I try always to relate to the person I am prosecuting,” said Radley. “The vast majority of misdemeanor offenders are good people who did bad things, and I always ask myself if I feel the person has learned from their mistake.”

When asked what a solicitor is, Radley says that would depend on who you ask.

"When I speak at career day, kids always ask me what I sell since I am a solicitor, and I tell them jail time,” says Radley.  “It gets them interested and makes them ask questions.  Then I can tell them what I really do, which is to balance the law with the lives of those who break the laws.  I believe my job is to always weigh the person against the crime and its effect on the community, and I always try to look to the motivations and intent of the defendant in prosecuting him or her.”

Radley says she’s wanted to be a prosecutor since she was 12. 

“I read Silence of the Lambs and wanted to be Clarice, an FBI agent,” said Radley. “Since I was legally blind, and it was before LASIK, I couldn’t do that, so I decided to go to her law school, the University of Virginia, and become a prosecutor. I tried to become a prosecutor after graduation, but was unaware of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, and was only looking on county websites for an open position and couldn’t find one. So I did civil first and bided my time.”

When asked if she’d like to share anything with career prosecutors who may be asking themselves, ‘is worth it?’ Radley replied, “It is SOOOO worth it. There is nothing
better than doing a job that matters beyond bringing home a paycheck.  Without prosecutors, people who break the law and those they violate would not get justice!”

When asked if she had any advice for new prosecutors or those thinking about entering the business, Radley replied, “Be prepared for a wild ride!  Know that some days you will hate the system, and then others you will know that it is necessary and the best it can be. That is the hardest part for me—the bureaucracy.”

“I would like to thank my family for their support,” said Radley. “When I finally found a prosecuting position, I discussed it with my husband before taking it because it meant nearly a 50 percent pay cut for our family.  My husband said, ‘Are you kidding me?  Take it! I want you to be happy, not rich!’  Also, I am grateful to Leslie Abernathy, my boss, mentor and friend. She has taught me to balance everything in life, including my career. She also taught me how to handle difficult people in a way that makes it seem that they got their way even when, really, you got what you wanted. This is extremely important in our job, and really, in every aspect of life. Most importantly, she taught me to trust in God, that He will always be there to guide us to do what is best.”

“I am so honored to have been given this award,” said Radley. “It truly means the world to me.” Radley is the daughter of Valerie and Michael Millard. She is married to Daniel Radley and they have one son and are expecting their second child in March.