Committee To Elect Will Jay for Orange Co. Judge, Group 15

Will Jay graduated with highest honors from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. While studying criminology and sociology, his professors encouraged him to apply to law school. At just twenty years old, Will was the youngest member of his entering class at Boston University School of Law. Upon graduating with honors from law school, Will accepted an offer to serve as an assistant state a

ttorney at the State Attorney’s Office in Orlando. He prosecuted criminal traffic offenses, juvenile cases, felony cases, and served as a DUI special prosecutor before spending six years in the s*x crimes and child abuse unit. After spending over ten years at the State Attorney’s Office, Will Jay moved into private practice with the law firm of Carsten & Ladan, PA. Will’s practice area was primarily criminal defense, but he also handled some civil matters, such as serving as a guardian ad litem on minor settlements. Based upon his reputation as a trial lawyer, Will received and accepted referrals to represent clients from as far away as Miami and Pensacola. Will also became board certified in criminal trial law and qualified to serve as co-counsel on death penalty cases while he was in private practice. He was also repeatedly asked to provide legal analysis on a variety of legal issues for every local network news affiliate, and he frequently appeared on CNNHN and TruTV’s “In Session” during the Casey Anthony case. Will returned to the State Attorney’s Office after three years of private practice and was quickly assigned to the homicide unit. Will has been selected to handle high profile cases numerous times, and most recently he co-prosecuted the “Cady Way” double homicide cases. He served in the homicide unit until State Attorney Jeff Ashton selected him to serve as the interim County Court Bureau Chief in January 2013. In this position, Will was responsible, in part, for supervising all the prosecutors in Orange County’s eleven county court divisions handling criminal matters. In addition to handling his own homicide and s*x crimes cases, Will devoted time each day to being in the county court courtrooms to observe the prosecutors under his supervision. In July 2013, after the State Attorney’s Office was restructured, Will was selected to be one of the Trial Unit Directors, where he is responsible for supervising prosecutors who practice in both circuit and county court. He remains committed to observing court every day when he is not handling his own case load. Will Jay has practiced inside the courtroom nearly every day of his career. He has handled every type of criminal case from misdemeanors to capital first degree murder. Will has real world courtroom experience and his experience from practicing as both a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney during his career provide him with the proper perspective a judge should have to see both sides of legal issues. He believes that a judge should be pleasant and courteous, as well as fair, efficient and knowledgeable in the law.