Jones County’s newest assistant district attorney is enjoying the Jones County office and the experience of working in the rural community.
Eesha Kumar was born in Atlanta and grew up in Cumming. She attended college at UGA and first focused on pre-med. Because she wanted a career that would make a difference, her first thought was becoming a doctor.
Kumar said her favorite subjects growing up were science and computers, but after her first semester of college, she decided to change course.
“I took a course in political science and really liked it,” she said.
After graduating from UGA with degrees in political science and computer science, she attended Mercer to get her law degree. Eesha took the bar exam in July of 2024 and was sworn in as a member of the bar in October.
Her oath was given by Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda Trammell in Milledgeville with her father and mother in attendance.
“My parents were surprised when I decided to pursue law, but they were still supportive,” she said.
Kumar said she and her younger brother grew up in an Indian community in the Cumming and Alpharetta area.
“I can speak the language, but I don’t read and write it,” she said.
The name Eesha is not a common name in the U.S., but she said it is a very common name in India.
Her parents met in college while they were still in India and came to the United States in 1995 for IT jobs. The business they now own provides IT solutions.
While in college, Kumar said she had the opportunity to be a law clerk in the Houston County DA’s office.
“I liked it and decided to become a prosecutor. I knew I wanted a service-oriented career, and law makes sense in my head,” she said.
Kumar said she got to Jones County after hearing about an opening in the DA’s office by word of mouth.
“I applied and came as a third-year law clerk in the spring of 2024,” she said.
The law student took the summer off to study for the bar exam and practiced under the thirdyear law provision while waiting for the results.
After being duly sworn as an officer of the court, she has been handling more complex cases. Kumar was the lead prosecutor at her first trial last month. The defendant was facing five charges, and he was convicted on three of the five.
The prosecutor lives in Macon but has fallen in love with the Jones County community.
“I want to do what I can to benefit and protect everyone. I love how clean it is and just the quietness,” she said.
Kumar said she learns from the senior prosecutor in the office, Cara Fiore, and of course District Attorney Wright Barksdale. She added that she also learns from defense attorneys, especially public defender Tom O’Donnell.
“I enjoy my job, and I learn something new every day,” she said.
The new prosecutor is small in stature, somewhere close to 5’3”, and is soft spoken, but she does not let that intimidate her.
“When I’m underestimated, it feels like my secret power,” she commented.
