Fani Willis has beaten out longtime Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard and will take over his job in the new year — a post that Howard has held since 1997.
She will also make history, becoming the first female district attorney for Fulton County once she takes office.
The Associated Press confirmed late Tuesday night that Howard had conceded the race. Howard came in second in the June primary in what was the worst election showing he’s had since taking office.
[LIVE RESULTS: Georgia Primary Runoff Election Results 2020]
Starting in the new year, Willis is set to take over as the office because there is no Republican challenger in November’s general election.
Willis is an alumna of Howard University and Emory University’s law school.
In her first four years as an attorney, she was in the private sector “representing citizens of Fulton County and surrounding areas in criminal cases, juvenile matters, family law and civil disputes,” the biography on her website reads.
Starting in 2000, Willis served a year as assistant solicitor for the city of Atlanta before taking a job in 2001 as an assistant district attorney with Fulton County.
Within three years, Willis served in a dual capacity with the Major Case and Cold Case Divisions of the DA’s office from 2004-2012.
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She was then promoted to deputy district attorney of the Complex Trial Division, where she helped prosecute “some of the most egregious, most multi-defendant bearing cases in Fulton County’s history.”
“Willis actively advocated the passage of a hate crime bill at the 2018 Georgia Legislature and has been recognized as a strong advocate for children, victims of violent crime, the LGBT community, and domestic violence,” her website states.
In 2018, Willis returned to private practice and opened her own law firm in Atlanta. The Law Offices of Fani T. Willis, LLC., specializes in criminal defense, business and corporate litigation, civil forfeiture and family law.
In 2019, Willis was appointed pro tem chief municipal court judge for the city of South Fulton — a position that she resigned from once announcing she was running for district attorney.
Outside of her work in the law, Willis also founded a nonprofit in 2015 called Love of Carla, which promotes awareness of sickle cell anemia in honor of her close friend, who is battling the disease.
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