Roger Gustafson is starting his fourth career.

An unemployment and labor attorney with international law firm Hunton & Williams, and formerly an ethics professor who did health care administration before that, Gustafson now sits on the bench as a part-time judge for Fulton County Juvenile Court.

After three years of working pro bono while at Hunton & Williams, representing abused children and looking out for the interests of juveniles charged with serious offenses, Gustafson has gone from adviser to decision-maker.

"It's a way I can impact a larger number of kids," said Gustafson, who first thought about taking the legal leap a year ago.

Fulton County Juvenile Court Chief Judge Sammy Jones, who brought Gustafson on board, thinks the 42-year-old lawyer's familiarity with juvenile delinquency cases will enhance his abilities on the bench.

"He's one of the more educated fellas you'll meet," Jones said, noting Gustafson's varied experience in health care, ethics, religion and law.

The juvenile court system had a full-time spot on the bench open for a year but could not fill it because of a strained budget. When Hunton & Williams offered its experienced attorney for free, Jones wouldn't pass it up.

And neither would Gustafson, who had quickly moved from the health care profession to law in an attempt to avoid standing idly and not "have a real effect on people's lives," he said.

"The burden that judges carry when making decisions on these children is a profound one. It's one that I accept with some trepidation because you really have the power to make the right or wrong decision," Gustafson said.

To prepare, he's observed every judge in the juvenile court but one, studying the juvenile code and attending education sessions. To him, it's much like a refresher course: Until recently, Gustafson took part in a statewide effort to rewrite the juvenile code. With the JUSTGeorgia project, he interviewed judges, lawyers, guardians and parents to get their views on the code and what needs to be changed.

Gustafson began his judgeship last week, administering the law he helped review.

Gustafson sat behind the thick wooden magistrate's bench Friday, staring at a 17-year-old high school student who had crashed a car into a mailbox.

"Mom, what do you think we ought to do here? This is the second time he's been caught without a license," he asked the teen's mother, his voice warm and inviting.

His casual manner seemed to put parents at ease. They opened up to him, divulging stories of their problems at home and at school. Gustafson prefers to be encouraging for lighter cases and when the child has made good progress.

For repeat offenders, Gustafson uses a more stern approach. But he said the juvenile system was designed for rehabilitation and treatment, not punishment.

"I really feel that the job of the judge is to protect the children of our community. I can't think of a higher calling than that," he said.

Roger Gustafson

Age: 42

Home: Marietta

Family: Married, one daughter

Job: Currently a part-time judge for Fulton County Juvenile Court and attorney for Hunton & Williams

Education: Law degree from the University of Chicago; Ph.D. in religious ethics from the University of Southern California; master's degree in theology from Emory University; M.B.A. from Georgia State University