Stephanie Woodard: Charges, Guilty Plea, and License Suspension

Stephanie Woodard is the former Hall County, Georgia, Solicitor General who was indicted in June 2024 on 24 felony counts tied to the misuse of public funds, pleaded guilty two months later to a single misdemeanor, resigned her office, and was suspended from practicing law for 12 months by the Supreme Court of Georgia.¹²

Woodard was first appointed to the solicitor general post by Governor Sonny Perdue in December 2008 and went on to win four elections, most recently running unopposed for a fourth full term in November 2022.³⁴

What Woodard Was Accused of Doing

Between July 2018 and September 2022, Woodard submitted improper expense claims against public funds belonging to her office and to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC). Investigators identified two patterns: charging personal purchases as if they were office or victim-assistance expenses, and seeking reimbursement for the same cost from both Hall County and the PAC or a conference organizer.¹

The personal purchases included a dog cremation, an SAT prep course, an LSAT exam registration, noise-canceling headphones, earbuds, a Target pillow, jewelry repair, antique store items, a garden gnome, baseball caps, and a bottle of wine. Several were disguised as victim or witness expenses. The LSAT fee, for example, was labeled as being for a “victim in Project Yet,” but the nonprofit confirmed it had no client taking the exam at that time. A restaurant receipt was described as related to “abuse awareness,” and the dog cremation was tied to “an old magistrate court case.”⁵¹

How the Case Came to Light

A FOX 5 Atlanta I-Team investigation published in October 2022 flagged more than $7,000 in questionable spending between January 2021 and September 2022, reporting “little evidence any victim was actually getting helped.” After that reporting, Woodard repaid Hall County $2,077.33, calling the charges “accounting errors” and expenses that had been “mistakenly reimbursed.”⁵

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation opened a formal probe, interviewing staff in the solicitor’s office. The Hall County District Attorney recused, and the PAC referred the matter to Attorney General Chris Carr. On June 12, 2024, a Hall County grand jury returned a 24-count indictment: 13 counts of false statements and writings and 11 counts of theft by taking, all felonies.⁶¹

The Guilty Plea and Resignation

On August 30, 2024, Woodard pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of unprofessional conduct under O.C.G.A. § 45-11-4(b)(1) and (5), covering malfeasance by a public officer and willfully demanding more cost than allowed by law. The state entered a nolle prosequi on all 24 felony counts.⁷⁸

Sentenced under Georgia’s First Offender Act, she received 12 months of probation set to end on full payment of restitution: $1,190.48 to the PAC and $1,028.80 to Hall County, totaling $2,219.28. Because she paid in full at the plea, no probation ever actually ran, and she was later exonerated under the First Offender Act, leaving her with no criminal record from the case.⁸

The plea required Woodard to resign as Hall County Solicitor General, effective August 9, 2024. Carr said she “took advantage of our state by violating the same laws that she was elected to uphold.”⁷⁹

The 12-Month Law License Suspension

Woodard admitted to violating Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(a)(3), which covers conviction of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude related to fitness to practice law, and 8.4(a)(4), which covers dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.⁸

She first petitioned the Supreme Court of Georgia for a public reprimand, and the State Bar recommended accepting it despite acknowledging that the presumptive penalty was a short suspension. On May 28, 2025, the court rejected the petition, finding a reprimand insufficient given her role as a public official, and pointed to comparable cases carrying suspensions of six to 18 months.⁸

Woodard then asked for a suspension of three to 12 months. On January 5, 2026, the court imposed a 12-month suspension, applied retroactively to June 26, 2025, when she had voluntarily transferred to inactive status. The court rejected her bid for a three-month term, calling the case “materially similar” to In the Matter of Adams, in which an attorney who overbilled an indigent defense program by more than $10,000 drew an 18-month suspension. It described her conduct as “willful and knowing” and noted that she held a position of “power and responsibility” as a public official.²¹⁰

Mitigating factors cited by the court included no prior discipline, expressed remorse, and full cooperation. Aggravating factors were her substantial legal experience and the fact that she committed the misconduct while in public office. The suspension carries no special reinstatement conditions and expires on its own terms 12 months from June 26, 2025.²

Who Replaced Her

The Hall County Solicitor General’s office sat vacant for roughly eight months. On April 23, 2025, Governor Brian Kemp appointed Inez Grant, a longtime Northeast Georgia prosecutor who had served as chief assistant solicitor in both Hall and Forsyth Counties, to fill the position.¹¹¹²

1
Office of the Georgia Attorney General. Carr Announces Indictment of Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard
2
FindLaw. In Re Stephanie Dianne Woodard, S25Y1374
3
Gainesville Times. Woodard Is Named as Hall’s Solicitor
4
FOX 5 Atlanta. Hall County Solicitor Faces New Probe After Failing to Disclose Personal Financial Info for Years
5
FOX 5 Atlanta. Hall County Solicitor Spent Public Money on Herself While Claiming It Was for Victims
6
FOX 5 Atlanta. Hall County Solicitor Stephanie Woodard Retaliation Employee GBI
7
Office of the Georgia Attorney General. Carr Announces Guilty Plea Involving Hall County Solicitor General
8
FindLaw. In Re Stephanie Dianne Woodard, S25Y0649
9
Ledger-Enquirer. Former Hall County Solicitor General Pleads Guilty
10
Georgia State Bar. In Re Stephanie Dianne Woodard, S25Y1374
11
Office of the Governor of Georgia. Gov. Kemp Announces Hall County Solicitor General Appointment
12
Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. AJMLS Alumna Inez Grant Appointed Hall County Solicitor General