Andy Prather was born in and is a lifelong resident of Columbus, Georgia.. He was in private law practice from 1977-1979, assistant solicitor 1980-1982, solicitor 1983-1993, and has been a state court judge since 1994. He has served as Chief Judge of the court since 1996. He was the president of the Solicitors Association of Georgia in 1990, and president of the Columbus Younger Lawyers Club in 1988.