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Tulane Law School - 2005
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Tennessee State University - 2002
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Municipal Court Judge 2022 - present
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Georgia State Representative 2013-2017
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Leadership Georgia - 2015
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LEAD Atlanta -2012
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Atlanta Business Chronicle Top 40 Under 40 - 2018
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Chief Senior Prosecutor - Atlanta Judicial Circuit 2005 - 2010
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Admitted to Georgia Supreme Court, Georgia Court of Appeals and State Bar of Georgia
All about LBJ
LaDawn "LBJ" Blackett was born on May 28, 1980 in Houston, Texas to Wayne and Bonnie Blackett. Her parents moved the family to Atlanta when LBJ was five to benefit from the bustling Atlanta economy. LBJ's entrepreneurial parents instilled hard work and hustle into the future lawyer.
Judge Blackett attended St. Anthony's Catholic School in the West End of Atlanta. LBJ's entrepreneurial skills surfaced in 4th grade when she began selling self-made hair bows to her classmates and teachers. The following year she also began exercising her leadership skills when becoming captain of the schools' cheerleading team. In eighth grade, LBJ's school changed administration and the annual 8th grade trip to Disney World was almost cancelled. The 13 year old stepped up and planned the entire trip including transportation, accommodations, ticket purchases and meal plan (which only included McDonalds for two days).
Blackett began Osborne High School in Cobb County. In response to students’ complaints of a racial divide between athletes, cheer, and the school, LaDawn had an idea, "make room for everyone." LBJ proposed the creation of a dance team during the basketball season to allow more students to participate "their way." The "Hotsteppers" were born and led (by the very clumsy) LBJ. The dance team continued for several years, although LBJ and her family had moved to south Fulton County. LBJ adjusted quickly to Westlake High School. During her time there LaDawn helped to create a community service club for Westlake girls, which later in her life became a blueprint for a future life passion.
During her high school years, LBJ began working at Six Flags over Georgia. It did not take long for her to be promoted several levels. As a seventeen-year-old high school senior LBJ supervised most of her high school classmates and was the youngest seasonal supervisor in the park. In 1998, LBJ enrolled in Tennessee State University and began a path towards being a computer engineer, then a sociologist, then when she realized she was not ready to enter the real world to stay in school and become an attorney. While at TSU, LBJ served as a peer counselor, the Junior Class Representative, the Senior Class Representative, and Speaker of the House. Her sophomore year, LBJ volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Nashville. She spent time weekly with her adopted little sister. Judge Blackett graduated from TSU 2002, cum laude, with a B.A. in English.
LBJ immediately began law school at Tulane University in New Orleans. Tulane was a change of pace for LBJ and early on law school tested her determination. But by her second year the old LaDawn reappeared. In response to the U.S. Supreme Court Grutter & Gratz decisions which challenged affirmative action for graduate schools, LBJ created a program called Diversity Month. Throughout the month of March, organizations from the school hosted events that challenged stereotypes, opened discussion, and encouraged healthy debate among the law students. The program was nominated for the American Bar Associations Community Service award. Throughout her matriculation through law school LBJ interned primarily in the public sector. Blackett worked with the Nashville Public Defender's Office, the Fulton County Attorney's office, and U.S. District Court for the Honorable Judge Vanessa Gilmore. As a third year law student she also interned for Spears and Spears and worked on the City Council campaign for current Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond.
LBJ passed the bar and began working in the Fulton County District Attorney's office. As an assistant district attorney, LBJ took her work very seriously and was promoted to a Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney. She was soon selected to be the Community Prosecutor for Zone 4 in southwest Atlanta and later opened the South Fulton community prosecution office. After only 18 months in the unit, LBJ was asked to be the units first Director. Under her direction, the unit which placed prosecutors in the communities they served, opened four new offices allowing the program to expand to throughout Fulton County.
In 2006, LaDawn married and produced two children from the marriage, Lyndon and Brendon.
In 2005, Rep. Jones began her second family the "Women of Westlake." WOW, a community service organization based on LBJ's own high school club, teaches students the love for community service and life skills. The program has graduated more than 250 teen girls from the south Atlanta community. In 2008, WOW expanded to Sandtown middle school. The high school students host an organization called Sisters of Sandtown S.O.S. WOW continues to operate in Westlake High School today and is led by LaDawn's former mentees.
In 2009, LBJ began her first novel--Manipulation. LBJ wanted to tell a story that was as entertaining as it was unbelievable. Based on a few of her own experiences as a prosecutor and a lot of imagination, the fast moving thriller is based in Atlanta.
After working as an assistant DA for six years, Jones set out to open her own boutique law firm. LBJ was determined to create a firm rooted in principles of service to the community and excellent legal representation. LaDawn Blackett Jones currently operates Atlanta's only Holistic Counseling Firm, the LBJ Group, LLC., she began serving clients in the areas of criminal, family, and small business law. The practice currently handles intellectual property and select criminal matters.
In 2012, LBJ sought public office and won a seat in the Georgia General Assembly. LBJ represented Georgia House District 62, which included East Point, College Park, Atlanta, and Douglas County for four years. Appointed to the Judiciary committee, Budget and Fiscal Oversight and Small Business, Representative Jones was an active and vocal member of the General Assembly. Some of her notable accomplishments was adding a mental health component to the controversial gun bill, chartering the new City of South Fulton, and brining attention to the ongoing use of the confederate flag in the State's largest park, Stone Mountain.
In 2015, LBJ was requested by a former client to write his story as a component of clearing his name and the name of the teachers involved. As a result the two co-authored "Cheating But Not Cheated: A Memoire of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal." The book outlined the little told story from the point of view of the "poster child" for the largest public education scandal in American history. Through this writing LBJ found her passion and skill for translating real stories to everyday people. Cheated was later turned into an award winning documentary, No Child Left Behind: The True Story of the Atlanta Cheating Scandal in which she helped co-executive produced. No Child was the award winning documentary at the American Black Film Festival in 2019.
After completing the most comprehensive trainings throughout the country including Front Line Leaders Academy and Congressional Black Caucus Boot Camp, LBJ decided to bring the trainings home to Georgia. LBJ hosted campaign trainings for undergraduate and graduate students as well as residents of District 62. During the 2016 presidential election, Judge Blackett was sought out by the Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign. LBJ was appointed State Director and acted as surrogate on the Sander's campaign traveling throughout the country and appearing on several media outlets in support of Sanders. Encouraged by the strength of the Sanders "Revolution" LBJ began consulting campaigns and candidates to help engage and elect progressive candidates and staff.
In 2017, LaDawn began PolitaCoach, llc with business partner Myesha Good. PolitaCoach trained dozens of successful candidates in local, state, and federal elections. After leaving the Georgia General Assembly, the LBJ Group was selected as the first city solicitor for the City of South Fulton, GA. At the same time she began her third book, The Institution of Marriage, a fiction novel. LBJ was honored with Atlanta Business Chronicles top 40 under 40 in 2018 and the Atlanta's Black 40 under 40 in 2019. She was also chosen as a Georgia Lawyer of Prestige and the Nzinga Woman of Influence by two magazines in 2019. She was awarded with Innovator in Technology award for her use of technology in the City of South Fulton to move justice forward.
In 2018 and 2019, PolitaCoach hosted a small business incubator on Auburn Ave., called HQ Auburn. The incubator was successful in launching dozens of small businesses. In 2020, LBJ moved by her passion for criminal justice began StopLifters, an online restorative justice program for shoplifting offenders.
In June of 2002, LBJ was appointed to Judge Pro Tem for the City of South Fulton Municipal court where she currently serves. She also joined the bench of the State Court of Dekalb County in 2023. She continues to support the Women of Westlake program and is an active participant at her children's schools where she volunteers for the PTSA and other school needs.
