Mandatory Continuing Judicial Education

14.1 Probate Judges Training Council. The probate court judges shall elect one representative from each district to the Probate Judges Training Council. The Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia may add up to four additional members to the training council. Said members shall be selected from the members of The Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia at large and will serve for two-year terms. Such members may succeed themselves if they are reappointed by the council. If a vacancy occurs for the additional members added, the council shall determine how to fill the vacancy. The members shall serve as specified in OCGA § 15-9-102. It shall be the duty of the Training Council to advise and coordinate with the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia concerning educational programs for the probate judges and probate judges-elect. 35 14.2 Program requirements. (A) Each new judge must satisfactorily complete the required new judge orientation training course as prescribed by the Probate Judges Training Council and the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia at the first occasion such a course is offered. Such judge shall complete an attendance record of such training issued by the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia and file it with the Probate Judges Training Council. (B) Every judge, including senior judges and full-time associate judges, shall be required to complete additional training prescribed by the Probate Judges Training Council and the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia during each year he or she serves as a judge of the probate court and complete an attendance record of such training issued by the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia and file it with the Probate Judges Training Council. Qualifying additional training shall include: 1. State-wide programs sponsored by the Probate Judges Training Council and the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia; 2. District, regional, or distance learning training programs offered through the Probate Judges Training Council; provided, however, that such district programs may not account for more than three hours per year; 3. For Article 6 Probate Court judges with expanded jurisdiction, programs of continuing legal education accredited by the State Bar of Georgia’s Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency, such as all relevant programs offered by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education of Georgia; provided, however, that such programs may not account for more than six hours per year; 4. Teaching any of the above programs, or related programs, shall include the following credits: (a) Three additional hours for each hour of instructional responsibility as a lecturer when no handout paper is prepared, and six hours for each hour of lecture when a handout paper is required. (b) Two hours for each hour as a panelist. (c) Three hours as a mock trial coach, two hours as a mock trial judge, and one hour as a mock trial evaluator. (d) When the same lecture or other instructional activity is repeated in a single calendar year, additional credit shall be given equivalent to the actual time spent. (C) Any judge who fails to successfully complete the required new judges training as required by subsection (a) of OCGA § 15-9-1.1 or who fails to earn the required cumulative annual minimum credit hours of training during any one-year period after the new judge orientation may be given a six-month administrative extension by the Probate Judges Training Council to fulfill this requirement. Individual requests for extensions beyond the initial six- month extension for reasons of disability, hardship, or extenuating circumstance may be approved on a case by case basis by the Probate Judges Training Council. Upon failure to earn the required hours within the extension period, the Probate Judges Training Council shall promptly notify the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which will recommend the removal of the judge from office to the Supreme Court of Georgia unless the Judicial Qualifications Commission finds that the failure was caused by circumstances beyond the control of the probate judge. 36 (D) All expenses of mandatory training authorized or required by the Probate Judges Training Council including tuition shall be paid by the probate judge or judge-elect participating in the training. The probate judge or judge-elect shall be reimbursed by the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia to the extent that funds are available for such purpose. If such funds are not available, each probate judge or judge-elect shall be reimbursed from county funds by action of the county governing authority. (E) Judges who serve concurrently as a judge of another class of court may be eligible to receive cross-training credit. The Probate Judges Training Council shall prescribe guidelines for cross-training credit. 14.3 Administration of the program. Administrative implementation of the mandatory continuing judicial education shall be conducted solely by the Probate Judges Training Council.