A Man of Service
Attorney Blake Payne brings skills he’s learned from an interesting life to the arena of Family Law.
Words by Stephen W. B. Rizzo | Image by Blakeney Clouse
Blake Payne is every bit the gentleman as he welcomes clients into his office in the Blanton Building in downtown Jasper. He explains, “I’m originally from Kentucky, a Bluegrass guy, but Roll Tide!” To that end, Blake says he has “been in Alabama for over forty years, so that kind of takes precedent.”
As he reminisces, he wonders aloud who would be interested in his life. After all, who would be interested in a guy who has served as a pastor and evangelist, joined the military (twice, earning his jump wings in his 50s), consulted on cases in Washington, D.C., and now practices family law where he helps “children get their parents back?”
On the other hand, maybe his is exactly the kind of life that deserves attention.
During his childhood, Blake’s family moved from Owensboro, Kentucky to Indiana and eventually Tennessee. It was in Tennessee that Blake met his future wife, Teresa, while attending a church college. He also pastored and evangelized until it was time to turn a new chapter.
“I enjoyed that time, but it just wasn't for me,” he says. “You have to have a real call if you're going to do that kind of work.”
In the 1980s, Blake joined the Army, serving as a chaplain’s assistant. He describes his responsibilities as giving out Bibles and song books and protecting the chaplain.
After his discharge, he would return to the military a few decades later as a member of the Alabama and Mississippi National Guards, serving as a military policeman. During this period of service, he earned his jump wings at age 58, which is no small feat. Speaking of this time, he explains, “I learned a lot as an MP, things that I even use now as an attorney.”
Sandwiched between these two periods in the military, Blake served as a postal inspector and handled what he describes as “tough cases,” including some that involved fatalities. In this role, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to consult on cases from all across the country. "That's when my thirst for law really began to rise to the top," he says.
So, he enrolled in Birmingham School of Law, put his heart and soul into the study of law, and passed the Alabama State Bar Exam on his first try.
A little over two decades since law school, Blake ‘s practice is centered largely on family law. He represent parents and also children when parents have been so consumed with drugs or alcohol that DHR comes in to protect the child. “My job is to make sure everything is going according to the law... and try to rehabilitate parents... [so] they can show the court they can be good parents,” Blake says.
He says that it can be stressful, but it goes well when children do get their parents back.
Though no longer an active evangelist or pastor, Blake comments that he, nonetheless, keeps his ministerial credentials current. Those who come to his law practice with a broken family and leave restored do not have to see his credentials to know he is still a minister. 78