Gita Suraj ( She/Her/Hers )
Assistant County Counsel
Overview
Gita Suraj joined the Office of the County Counsel in 2001 and was appointed a Lead Deputy in 2017 and an Assistant County Counsel in 2019. She oversees the Office’s Adult and Elder Protection and Worker’s Compensation legal teams. Gita also oversees the Office’s budget and fiscal and IT teams, and the administrative services staff and legal support staff at the Julian Street Office.
The Adult and Elder Protection team advises and represents the Public Administrator/Guardian/Conservator on probate and conservatorship court matters to ensure the personal and physical safety of persons unable to do so on their own; advises Adult Protective Services on preventing abuse or neglect of elders and dependent adults; and serves on the County’s Financial Abuse Specialist Team.
The Workers’ Compensation team advises and represents the County’s Workers’ Compensation Division on claims filed by County employees.
Prior to her appointment as an Assistant County Counsel, Gita served from 2005 to 2019, in an advice and advocacy role and later in a supervisor role, in the Office’s Child and Family Protection Team which supports the Department of Family and Children’s Services in preventing and addressing child abuse and neglect and supporting family reunification. Gita’s professional expertise includes juvenile dependency law, trials, mediations, and hearings, and services to incarcerated parents and non-minor dependents. She conducted over 125 trials, participated in hundreds of mediations, appeared in thousands of court hearings, and trained social workers on dependency law and procedure and court and trial preparation. Prior to that, from 2001-2005, Gita served in a legal advice and advocacy role as a member of the Office’s Health and Hospital Team.
Office practice areas
- Adult and Elder Protection Team
- Workers’ Compensation Team
- Office Budget, Fiscal, and IT Administration
Education
- Georgia State University College of Law, J.D., 1998
- Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business, M.B.A., 1997
- University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 1992
Prior experience
- Associate Attorney at Buffington & Aaron (1998-2000)