Although the law was his first love, Sequim attorney Will Payne took a circuitous career route to becoming a lawyer and he feels his broad-based experience gives him an edge in helping his clients navigate the legal system.
After a stint as the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney in 2014, Payne opened his private practice in Sequim in January at 329 S. Third Ave., Ste. A.
“Law wasn’t my first career. I spent 11 years in the Marine Corps and after that I had a computer consulting company for 10 years. I’d always wanted to go to law school but the timing was never right,” the 58-year-old Payne said.
After living in Texas, Payne and his wife, Pamela, moved to Laramie, Wyo., where he earned his juris doctorate degree at its law school in 2003 and went into private practice. The Paynes moved to Bellingham and then to Sequim in 2008, where he was hired as a deputy prosecutor for Clallam County. He also worked for the Washington Attorney General’s office from 2011-2014, representing the Department of Social and Health Services.
Payne said he was drawn to the legal profession “because there are a lot of things you can do with the law, a lot of areas you can work in. I realized I liked working with people to help them solve their problems. There’s a saying, ‘The wheels of justice turn slowly but grind exceedingly fine.’ My role has been helping people understand the legal system and being able to interface between people and the law.”
In his general law practice, Payne said his focus is on family law, including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, child custody and visitation, child support and alimony. However, he remains committed to criminal defense, dealing with issues surrounding an arrest, a criminal investigation, criminal charges, sentencing, appeals and post-trial issues, and pointing out that everyone deserves legal representation under the U.S. Constitution.
Payne also practices business and corporation law, real estate law and draws up wills and trusts.
“I do criminal and family law because they are areas a lot of people need help in,” Payne said. “My background in civil and criminal law brings me a good perspective because I’ve been on both sides as a prosecutor and defense attorney, and being in business, I think I have a broad base of understanding. I try to look at the human side. I understand what people are going through and I have a vested interest in the community.”
Payne is a member of the Sequim Sunrise Rotary club and vice president of Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County. He was a member of the Port Angeles Public Safety Advisory Commission and Sheriff’s Citizen Advisory Board. Payne also served as the president of the Clallam County Bar Association in 2010.
He recently joined the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Payne said his clientele runs the gamut from people and businesses with very limited means to wealthy individuals, stressing he always first discusses the case with the client — then the costs.
As a board member of the Clallam/Jefferson County Pro Bono Lawyers since 2009 and its president for three years, Payne said he also has taken on in his private practice pro bono and “low bono” cases.
“I provide legal assistance, counsel and advice to indigent people because equal justice is a big thing. The legal system is very expensive,” he said.
“I think lawyers in general want to help (all clients) but oftentimes there are limitations. Sometimes the legal system can’t make people ‘whole’ again so I try to tell them that the judicial system is not there to make them ‘whole.’ It may not solve all of their grievances or the harm done to them. I help them realize the most palatable solution might not be what they’re looking for.”
Still there is satisfaction “when the clients say they appreciate my work or when they see a resolution to their case that allows them to get on with their lives,” Payne said.
“Helping people through the system, that’s satisfying. Counter to that, when people are disappointed and I can’t find them the solution they want, I feel for them. The legal system is full of compromise. Seeing that disappointment and not being able to resolve it in the way they’d like,” is the worst part of the job, Payne admitted.
“I’m happy to be here in the Sequim community and answer legal questions and I look forward to having a long fruitful practice in Clallam County.”
Payne Law, PS
William B. Payne, JD
Location: 329 S. Third Ave. Ste. A, Sequim
Phone: 683-7296
E-mail: wbp@plfps.com
Wesbite: www.paynelawps.com
Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday
