For most of her legal career, Laura Beyer has been the law clerk for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge George Hodges.

Beyer is now taking over the bankruptcy judgeship in Charlotte held by her boss for more than two decades.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., appointed Beyer to the judgeship for a 14-year term.

"I'm flattered and honored to be able to serve this court," said Beyer, 40. "I feel a deep sense of commitment to this court, the people who work for the court and the people who appear before the court."

Beyer's first day on the bench at the federal courthouse in Charlotte was Tuesday.

"The Western District of North Carolina has been served for many years by strong bankruptcy judges," U.S. Chief District Judge Bob Conrad said. "Judge Beyer's appointment renews that legacy. We welcome her to the federal bench and look forward to working with her."

Hodges, Beyer's boss for nine years, retired earlier this month after 24 years on the bench.

He had high praise for Beyer.

"Laura Beyer has been constantly on top of things," said Hodges, 65. "She's an unusually bright and personable person - somebody you can instantly know and like. I think she's going to be great for the job."

Beyer never thought she'd become a judge. But now that she's on the bench, she said: "I can't think of a better place to be. Public service is what I'm suited for. That's what I enjoy."

Beyer is one of two bankruptcy judges for the Western District of North Carolina, which stretches from Charlotte to the Tennessee border. The other is U.S. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Craig Whitley.

Hodges will work part time as a bankruptcy judge.

In 1986, the year before Hodges was appointed to the bankruptcy judgeship, 2,293 people and corporations filed bankruptcy petitions in North Carolina's Western District. More than 8,000 bankruptcies have been filed in the district each of the past two years.

Beyer will be stationed in Charlotte but will preside over bankruptcy courts across the Western District of North Carolina.

Bankruptcy court is held at federal courthouses in Charlotte, Asheville and Wilkesboro and at the state courthouse in Shelby.

Beyer, who was born in Tifton, Ga., got her bachelor's degree in political science from Davidson College in 1993. She got her law degree from UNC Chapel Hill in 1998.

She's chaired the tutor committee at her children's elementary school in Charlotte.

And once a week during the school year, she tutors reading to first-graders.

She attends Covenant Presbyterian Church, where she has been a Sunday school teacher and chaired the church's early childhood education committee.

Earlier this year, Beyer was named one of the state's "Legal Elite" in bankruptcy law by Business North Carolina.

Beyer will be the first female federal judge in the Western District.

"It'll be nice to have a woman around here," Beyer said while laughing.

"People around here are excited about a woman being on the bench. It'll be a change."