Judge settles arguments in courtroom and at home

Superior Court Judge Robert L. Allgood is known for his fair and impartial rulings in the courtroom.

But he says some of his mediation happens within the confines of his own home.

"My daughter Sara is a senior at Georgia Tech and Wilson, my son, is a junior at UGA," said Allgood, who has been married for 25 years to his wife, Terri. "Football season can be an interesting place in our house."

The rivalry is evident in the Allgood family's basement: half is decorated with University of Georgia paraphernalia, the other half with Georgia Tech colors.

Allgood himself graduated from Evans High School before heading across the border to attend the University of South Carolina. After completing his undergraduate studies, he attended Emory Law School in Atlanta.

Allgood first became interested in a law career because of his father, Thomas F. Allgood Sr. After obtaining his law degree, Allgood returned home to become an associate in his father's firm, Allgood and Childs, where he spent 10 years learning the trade. He then started his own firm, Allgood and Daniel, and worked primarily as a civil litigation lawyer. In his time with the two firms, Allgood was the lead trial attorney in more than 100 civil jury trials.

It was Allgood's wealth of experience that prompted then-Gov. Zell Miller to appoint him to the Augusta circuit of Superior Court in 1995. Since then, he has run unopposed in two elections to maintain his seat on the bench.

Allgood primarily presides over domestic cases and family court in a circuit that includes Columbia, Burke and Richmond counties.

The judge says that his part in preparing for the dedication ceremony has been behind the scenes, but he is very proud to be a part of it, considering how important the new justice center is for the Augusta Circuit.

"We just moved in here at the end of August and this new courthouse has already made quite an impact in the administration of justice," said Allgood. "It's a fabulous building that was set up to be public-friendly and secure. We can now keep jurors and witnesses from mingling by keeping them in separate rooms, which we couldn't do before. There is no longer all this confusion by the public on where they are supposed to go when they have a court date."