Brookhaven lawyer and lifelong DeKalb resident John Ernst was appointed to the DeKalb County Board of Ethics on Tuesday. The board serves to interpret the Code of Ethics adopted by the county, to apply sanctions to those in violation of the Code, and to issue issue advisory opinions defining appropriate behaviors according to community standards as reflected in that Code.
Ernst said in a statement that he was ready to take a more active role on the board in the wake DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis’ indictment for extortion and corruption.
“We are at a crossroads in DeKalb County when it comes to the public’s trust in their elected and appointed officials,” Ernst said. “My role on the Ethics Board will be to hold the DeKalb Commissioners, the C.E.O. and those that they appoint accountable. I see no job more important right now in DeKalb.”
Ernst is an alum of Emory University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History. He received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. During his tenure in law school, John was a member of the prosecutorial clinic where he served as a prosecutor in the Athens-Clarke County District Attorney’s office and was a summer clerk for the Honorable John J Ellington, Georgia Court of Appeals.
John opened his own law firm in 2005 specializing in real estate transactions, bankruptcy litigation and personal injury cases. He is licensed to practice before all Georgia trial courts and the Georgia Supreme Court, and he is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice.
This article was provided by Ernst's firm and edited for publication.
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