Mayor Andre Dickens has appointed Patrise M. Perkins-Hooker as interim city attorney following Nina Hickson’s retirement on May 8.
An Atlanta native, Perkins-Hooker has practiced law for more than 39 years and currently serves as the administrative partner for Johnson & Freeman, LLC.
“Patrise Perkins-Hooker is recognized as a highly reputable officer of the court and public servant,” Dickens said in a press release. “She has background experience in a wealth of service fields—including municipal law—that will serve the City and people of Atlanta well. I thank her for agreeing to serve in this capacity, leading the Department of Law and serving our community.”
“Again, a sincere thanks to City Attorney Nina Hickson for her years of exemplary service. She has served the people of Atlanta with the utmost integrity, dedication and character,” Dickens said.
Most recently, Perkins-Hooker served as Fulton’s County Attorney from 2016 to 2021. She made history in 2014 when she was elected the 52nd, third woman and first Black president of the State Bar of Georgia.
“I am honored to have been asked by the Mayor to serve in this role and to provide support to his administration. I am looking forward to this opportunity,” Perkins-Hooker said in the press release.
Perkins-Hooker, who considered former Fulton County Superior Court Judge and Atlanta City Council President Marvin Arrington, Sr. a mentor, also served as Vice President and General Counsel for the Atlanta BeltLine Inc. from 2009 to 2016.
She has received numerous honors, including Amicus Curiae award from the Supreme Court of Georgia for Outstanding volunteer service and professionalism in the practice of law, the Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award from the State Bar of Georgia’s Commitment to Equality Committee and she is listed as one of the Top 100 Alumni of Emory Law School’s history.
Perkins-Hooker is a product of Atlanta Public Schools, a Frederick Douglass High School alumnus where she was President of the Student Government Association. She graduated with honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and she earned a JD and an MBA from the Emory University School of Law and Goizueta Business School respectively.
