Judge Charity R. Bridgewater

Appointed to the Clayton County Magistrate Court in 2021, Judge Charity R. Bridgewater brings over 18 years of criminal and civil experience to the bench.  She was born in historic Natchez, Mississippi and was raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  She has been a resident of Clayton County since 2004.

Judge Bridgewater began her legal career as a judicial law clerk with the Mississippi Court of Appeals for The Honorable Judge Tyree Irving.  After her tenure with the Mississippi Court of Appeals, Judge Bridgewater worked as a Public Defender for the City of Atlanta Traffic Court and Municipal Court representing defendants charged with misdemeanor criminal violations.   As a Public Defender, Judge Bridgewater obtained substantial experience in courtroom procedure, trial preparation, and trial experience.  Thereafter, Judge Bridgewater went into private practice, wherein she handled real property transactions and litigation in residential and commercial matters spanning over multiple state and federal jurisdictions.  Her specific real property practice areas were closings, foreclosure, title review and title curative, dispossessory, bankruptcy and all other real estate related matters.  Additionally, she has served as a presenter for continuing legal education programs regarding real property matters.  Prior to her appointment, Judge Bridgewater was employed at The Office of the Fulton County Attorney wherein she was an Assistant County Attorney which acts as the in-house counsel for that local government.  Her focused area of practice at the Office of the Fulton County were quiet title actions, condemnations, bankruptcy, real property taxation and tax collection.  Judge Bridgewater is barred in the states of Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Throughout her legal career, Judge Bridgewater has been involved in numerous associations including the Clayton County Bar Association, Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL), Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL), Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), Gate City Bar Association, Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO); Real Property Section of The State Bars of Georgia and Mississippi; Georgia Bar Association; Mississippi Bar Association; National Bar Association; and the American Bar Association.

Judge Bridgewater received her Bachelor of Arts in History and Comparative Women’s Studies from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.  She obtained her Juris Doctorate from The University of Mississippi School of Law in University, Mississippi.  In her spare time, she gives back to the community by mentoring college students, assisting in mock trial competitions and working in various local food banks.  She also enjoys volunteering in her church, listening to music, traveling, reading, and all things fitness including jogging. Her greatest joy is being with her family, especially being a wife and a mother.