Chelsea Freeman Dease | Atlanta Circuit, Post 30

Candidate Statement

As a young lawyer, in my eighth year of practice, I am familiar with the specific challenges faced by young lawyers, particularly those who aspire to ascend the ranks of Bar leadership. As a 2023 graduate of the YLD Leadership Academy, member of the YLD Board of Directors and co-chair of the YLD Law School Outreach Committee, I am actively engaged in the affairs of not only young lawyers, but soon-to-be lawyers. Put simply, I am invested in the promise of what our Bar leadership can be. A vote for me is an investment in a brighter, fresher, more innovative and forward-thinking future.

Education

• University of South Carolina—Honors College (2014)
• Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (2017)
• Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, criminology articles editor (2015-16)
• Student Bar Association, treasurer (2015-16)

Personal/Family

• Native of southwest Atlanta, Georgia
• Married to high school sweetheart, Patrick J. Dease
• Mother of two boys, Presley and Princeton
• Bilingual: English and Spanish
• Religious affirmation: Christian (United Methodist)
• Hobbies/interests: travel, fitness, reading, fashion, learning new languages

Professional Background, Bar Activities, Civic Activities

• Associate Municipal Court judge of Lake City, Georgia (January 2024–present)
• Johnson & Freeman, LLC, litigation partner (May 2022–present)
• Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP, level II litigation associate (August 2021–present)
• Greenberg Traurig, LLP, products liability, pharmaceuticals, mass torts and medical malpractice associate (September 2017–July 2021)
• Bar Engagement
  • State Bar of Georgia
    • YLD Board of Directors (2024–present)
    • YLD Law School Outreach Committee, co-chair (2024–present)
    • YLD Leadership Academy (2023)
  • Gate City Bar Association
    • Inaugural L.E.A.D. class (2021)
  • Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
  • American Bar Association
    • Young Lawyers Division
  • Atlanta Bar Association, judicial member
    • Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers
    • Litigation Section
    • Women in the Profession Section
• Civic Engagement
  • Pi Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated, member
  • Ivy & Roses Community Fund, Inc., vice president
  • Ivy & Roses Community Fund, Inc., immediate past programs chair
  • Atlanta Women's Foundation, Inspire Atlanta Cohort (2023)
  • Ronald J. Freeman Sr. Chapter of the Black Law Students Association of Georgia State University College of Law Scholarship Board, board member
• Professional Accolades
  • National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 (2024)
  • Best Lawyers: One to Watch® (2025)
  • Super Lawyers 2025 Georgia Rising Stars
  • 2015 Donald Lee Hollowell Civil Rights Legacy Award from the DeKalb Lawyers Association
• Publications
  • “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Law Firms and Corporate Legal Departments,” Diversity Insider (2021)
  • “Litigation 2021 Practice Guide: Law and Practice USA,” Chambers and Partners (2020)
  • “Litigation 2019 Second Addition: Law and Practice USA,” Chambers and Partners (2019)
  • “The Global Courtroom: Discovery of Foreign Documents in U.S. Products Liability Litigation,” American Bar Association’s Women in Litigation Joint Conference (2017)
  • “Ain’t I A Woman,” senior thesis (2014)

Main Issues Facing the State Bar/Position

The prime issues facing the Bar are mentorship and engagement. While the Bar mandates the Transition Into Law Practice Program, focusing primarily on inside-mentoring and the first year of practice transition, there is no such meaningful plan prepared for young lawyers to sustain engagement with the Bar. Thus, there is a need for the Bar to develop an Emerging Leader Mentorship Program, which would afford young lawyers, within at least their second year of practice, the opportunity to opt into a narrowly tailored mentor-mentee pairing designed to accelerate their personal and professional development through leadership building with their mentor. Once paired, mentees and mentors will schedule an initial meeting to establish the relationship and will thereafter meet in person or communicate by phone or email as often as needed (at least once a month). Big Bar members, in furtherance of their continued commitment to Bar service, will be encouraged to serve as a mentor at least once every five years, with a maximum of two mentees at any given time. The overall mission of the Emerging Leader Mentorship Program will be as follows: (1) to nurture emerging leaders; and (2) encourage continued Bar service from matriculation until retirement.