Once he was one of the best-known attorneys in the Augusta area, who often found himself in the news, but now he is a rather inconspicuous, rarely seen domestic relations judge.

And Superior Court Judge Daniel J. Craig is loving it.

Six months have passed since Gov. Sonny Perdue gave the former Augusta Judicial Circuit district attorney the oath of office to become the newest judge on the Superior Court bench. The governor appointed him to complete the unexpired term of former Judge Neal W. Dickert.

Those who know his drive and energy wondered at the time whether Judge Craig could convert from 80-hour weeks prosecuting cases and running a large office to a judgeship that requires comparably light office hours of 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with an hour and a half off for lunch.

What, friends asked, would he do with himself?

"He'll find a way to stay down there all the time," former partner A. Stephenson Wallace said of Judge Craig. He might have slowed down now, but Mr. Wallace was doubtful. "I'd have to see it to believe it."

Instead of delegating duties such as research and preparing orders to attorneys, Judge Craig takes on those tasks. He believes he learns more by doing it himself, and it gives him more confidence in making decisions.

He was surprised at the domestic court judges' caseloads. Three of the eight Superior Court judges handle all of the domestic cases in Richmond, Columbia and Burke counties. Judge Craig said he has 582 cases assigned to him.

He believes it is his duty to see that people who come to court leave with the sense of being treated fairly and professionally by the judicial system, Judge Craig said.

"These are people whose lives are in great turmoil. It's so important to do all we can to help them get back on their feet ... and get past this personal crisis."

The attorneys who practice domestic law are finding the new Judge Craig to be much like the old District Attorney Craig.

"You never know how someone's traits will be exhibited when he puts on the robe," said Columbia County Magistrate Wade Padgett, who also has a private practice. But with Judge Craig, attorneys see the same attention to detail and hard work, he said.

When a judge is returning e-mails at 7 p.m., he's not taking it easy, Mr. Padgett said.

"Danny is a good fit for a great team," Mr. Padgett said of the domestic relation judges -- Sheryl Jolly, J. David Roper and now Judge Craig.

Attorney Jason Troiano worked as an assistant district attorney for eight years under Judge Craig. He finds Judge Craig to be as meticulous as he was as a district attorney. In the cases he has had before Judge Craig, Mr. Troiano discovered the judge already had learned the details before the hearings.

"I think it puts clients at ease," Mr. Troiano said. They feel the judge understands their situation and cares, he said.

"Just be ready when you're before Judge Craig,'' Mr. Troiano advised his legal brethren.

After 28 years as an attorney, Judge Craig said he promised himself that as a judge he would read everything an attorney wrote before stepping into any hearing.

Judge Craig handled a lot of domestic legal matters while in private practice, but he had a 14-year break as the district attorney before his appointment to the bench. An average divorce order that used to be a dozen or so pages is now 43 pages long, he said.

There have been some specific changes in the laws, but learning and delving into the nuances of the law has always been one of his favorite parts, Judge Craig said.

"It's been everything I had hoped it would be," he said.