Ramona Toole has earned a stellar reputation of being a hardworking jurist who is trusted, fair, and compassionate.  Born and raised in Alabama, Ramona’s early life was marked by devastating instances of violence that influenced her to choose a career in the justice system in the 8th grade.  Her chosen path was not just about becoming a jurist, it was about creating safer communities and protecting the most vulnerable members of our society.

After graduating from high school, Ramona earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Berea College in Kentucky.  While there she developed her passion of serving others in the community.  After graduating from Berea College, she attended Alabama A&M University where she earned a Master of Business Administration.  She later relocated to Jackson, Mississippi to attend Mississippi College School of Law.  While attending law school full time, she volunteered as a CASA member in the Juvenile Court, a Big Sister with the Big Brothers/Big Sister, and a mentor to local students in the Jackson Public Schools.

After earning her Juris Doctorate degree from Mississippi College School of Law, Ramona relocated to Gwinnett County where she has been an active member of the community.  She successfully passed the Georgia Bar in October in 2003 and for the last 20 years has been zealously protecting the rights of people, helping citizens understand and navigate the legal system, and ensuring that justice is accessible to all.

In addition to making justice accessible, Ramona also ensures that the law is applied correctly, both in letter and in spirit. With her vast and varied experience, doing so comes naturally to her. She started off her professional journey as an Assistant Solicitor at the City of Atlanta Traffic Court.  Later, she was hired at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for the Child Support Unit.  While in that Unit, she was tasked with helping custodial parents get the relief they needed to take care of their family.  Eventually she was assigned to the Trial Division, where she managed a large caseload and supervised and trained law school Interns. In 2016, she relocated to the trial line at the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, where she remained until 2021.  Since beginning her professional journey, Ramona has tried everything from traffic offenses, armed robbery, aggravated assault, vehicular homicides, murder and illegal manufacture and distribution of controlled substances.  

Ramona now works as the Deputy District Attorney for Records, Diversion and Record Restriction Unit, under the leadership of the Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis.  In this role, she is responsible for giving people a second chance either by enrolling them in the Adult Diversion program or restricting their criminal history, when the law allows. She currently supervises at least ten support staff and two Attorneys.

At the forefront of Ramona’s work is an appreciation of how every decision made impacts a person’s life and livelihood. She approaches each and every trial with a fresh lens and a high caliber due diligence to ensure that decisions rendered are fully informed and fair.

Ramona also has a strong passion for giving back to her community.  Since moving to Gwinnett, Ramona has spearheaded a number of worthwhile community youth activities such as Teen Unity Night, Justice for All and multiple Back to School Festivals.  She is also serving as a panel member on the Citizen Review Board.

Her goal moving forward is to use her legal training and experience to be a referee for the legal system she loves. Just as her mother stopped at nothing to provide her and her siblings with the support, resources, and opportunities they needed to thrive, despite being a single parent, Ramona will stand firm to ensure that the people in her community, independent of their background, upbringing, gender, identity, race or the nature of the case will have equal access to justice under the law.

Ramona is a proud resident of the City of Snellville.  She is a member of the Gwinnett County Bar, Gwinnett County Chapter of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyer (GAWL), the Gwinnett County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorney (GABWA) and The National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA).