Jerry Bruce has been a parent attorney, guardian ad litem, prosecuting attorney, delinquency and adult defender, Special Assistant Attorney General representing DFCS, and a juvenile court judge – essentially every job an attorney can do in Georgia’s juvenile courts.  He led the Georgia Supreme Court’s Court Improvement Program for five years. In June of 2021, he was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp to be Georgia’s Child Advocate, leading the Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children.  He is an adjunct faculty member at the Emory University School of Law, co-lead faculty for Georgia’s Multi-Disciplinary Child Abuse and Neglect Institute, and is co-author of Georgia’s The Guardian ad Litem in Dependency Proceedings: A Guide to Best Interest Advocacy.  He regularly writes, speaks, and trains on child welfare issues in Georgia and nationally.