Atlanta Mayor announces interim city attorney after current attorney announces her retirement

ATLANTA — On Monday, Atlanta City Attorney Nina Hickson announced she’d be retiring, effective May 8. The next day, the Atlanta Mayor’s Office announced the interim city attorney would be Patrise M. Perkins-Hooker.

The announcement from the office of Mayor Andre Dickens said Hickson, who was appointed city attorney in July 2018, had taken a position in Maryland that would let her be closer to both her mother and daughter.

Hickson said in a statement that she was honored to have served Atlanta’s citizens over the years and was confident that the city’s Law Department would continue to provide excellent service to the city. The Mayor’s office said Hickson had served the city in a variety of roles for more than 20 years.

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“Nina Hickson has served the people of Atlanta with the utmost integrity and character,” Dickens said in a statement. “From her advocacy for children and families to her dedication to ethics and transparency in government, Attorney Hickson is a shining example of what public service should look like. I thank her for her dedication to the City of Atlanta and wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.”

Dickens’ office said he’d be announcing an interim city attorney soon, and it didn’t take long.

On Tuesday, Dickens’ office announced that Perkins-Hooker would step into the role as interim city attorney, beginning May 9.

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According to the mayor’s office, Perkins-Hooker has been an attorney for more than 39 years and currently works 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 the announcement. “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.”

The mayor’s office said Perkins-Hooker previously served as Fulton’s County Attorney from 2016 to 2021, after making history as the first Black president of the State Bar of Georgia in 2014.

“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 a statement.

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