THOMASVILLE — A gavel of opportunity is knocking for Tangela Hopkins Barrie. The 34-year-old Thomasville native is a candidate for Superior Court judge in DeKalb County.

Barrie is seeking the post being vacated by Anne Workman.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Barrie said during a recent visit to the Times-Enterprise. “I think the primary reason is because I’m a prosecutor, and one of my main goals is to protect the citizens. (Becoming a judge) is another step toward being able to do that.”

A1991 Thomasville High School graduate, Barrie has served as an assistant district attorney in DeKalb County since 2001. She has handled many felony cases and currently serves in the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit.

“I’m sad to say I stay pretty busy,” Barrie lamented while discussing the crime rate in the Atlanta area. “The good thing is, though, I stay in contact with the victims and have a chance to make their lives better by doing the right things and making them feel safe. I help them get acclimated and become a whole person again.

“My job is very therapeutic in that sense.”

Barrie finds DeKalb County’s open judicial seat alluring because defeating an incumbent judge is difficult.

“If you are going to run against an incumbent, your name needs to be like Coke,” she explained. “You have to have a household name.”

The first black attorney in DeKalb County’s Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit, Barrie is gaining name recognition quickly. Her record of success in rape cases earned her DeKalb County’s Prosecuting Attorney of the Year Award in 2007. Her resume also includes the 2006 Boundless Commitment to Community Award.

“Some people may think I’m young, but I have experience — the kind of experience that counts,” Barrie said. “I also have a passion, so why would I wait another 20 years before running (for a spot on the bench)?”

Barrie, the daughter of A.J. and Marjann Hopkins, was only 12 when she decided a legal career was for her. The voracious reader graduated from Albany State College in just three years, earning cum laude status before advancing to Stetson University College of Law.

“I couldn’t wait to get to law school, so I went to summer school. I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to become a lawyer,” she said.

After graduating from Stetson, also with cum laude honors, Barrie landed a job as a clerk for a federal judge in Tampa, Fla. She also spent three years practicing commercial litigation in Atlanta before becoming an assistant district attorney.

Barrie, married with two young sons, did not find her stint in commercial litigation gratifying.

“You reach a lot of settlements, and that’s not a place I wanted to go,” she said. “I wanted to get into the courtroom and appeal to those 12 jurors.”