Newly elected Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges said Thursday he is eager to “roll up my sleeves and get to work.”

In the next seven months, before taking office on Jan. 1, Hodges said he plans to wrap up his private practice in Atlanta and his hometown of Albany and meet with judges to learn about the new job. He also will be starting a one-year stint as president of the State Bar of Georgia in June. He said he spent four hours Thursday picking committee members for the new bar year.