Georgia’s first Latina trial judge will be a familiar face to lawyers who’ve appeared before former DeKalb County State Court Judge Dax Lopez.

The new judge, Ana Maria Martinez, served the past 8½ years as the judge’s law clerk. Next week, Gov. Brian Kemp plans to swear her in to succeed Lopez, who left the bench Sept. 1 to join the law firm now called DelCampo Grayson Lopez.