Gainesville lawyer John W. "Tripp" Wingate, III, announced Monday afternoon his plan to run for Hall County State Court Judge in 2024.
In a press release, Wingate said he brings 25 years of litigation experience to the ballot.
“My legal career and background show that I am qualified, am willing to put in the time to do the work, and have experience with a wide variety of people and problems," Wingate said. "While I have been sitting in the same chair behind the same desk in the same law office on Green Street for the past 24 years, I have not forgotten the great opportunities and learning experiences provided to me during my formative years while working on my grandparents’ farm, working at a True Value hardware store, driving a vending machine route, and selling men’s clothing”.
“If chosen by the people of Hall County to serve as their next State Court judge, I will not leave common sense or my years of experience at the front door of the courthouse and will always seek to be prepared for each case being presented," Wingate said. "I will give great care and due consideration to the constitutional role of our courts, as our court system and our system of government rely upon public confidence. At the end of the day, people should feel that they were provided a fair opportunity to be heard, that they were treated with respect and courtesy, and that they were given a prompt ruling they can understand."
Wingate graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science/Business Administration and from the Walter F. George School of Law/Mercer University in 1998 with a Juris Doctorate. Following law school, he served as a law clerk to the Superior Court judges of the Enotah Judicial Circuit before joining the law firm of Myers & Stroberg, LLP, in 1999 as an associate and thereafter becoming a partner in 2006. The firm name has changed over the years from Myers & Stroberg, LLP to Myers, Stroberg & Wingate, LLP and is now known as Myers & Wingate, LLP.
Wingate holds an AV-Preeminent Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating, is a member of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit Bar Association (President, 2015-2016), is a member of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, has been a certified mediator since 2008 and has previously served as a mentor in the State Bar of Georgia's Transition Into Law Program.
Wingate and his wife Julie Ellenburg Wingate have been married for 28 years. They have a daughter, Ellie, who is attending Georgia Southern University. The Wingates are members of the First Presbyterian of Gainesville.
More information about Wingate's campaign is available here.
