| Summary: | Lawyer James E. Payne was born on March 3, 1968, in Port Arthur, Texas. He earned his B.S. degree from the University of Houston in 1989 and his J.D. degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1993. In 1989, Payne interned with Florida Congressman William Lehman, and in 1993, was hired as associate lawyer at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. He next joined Provost Umphrey Law Firm, L.L.P., a personal injury law firm, practicing personal injury, industrial work site, automobile accident, and premises liability law. Payne argued successfully on behalf of 250 plaintiffs in Matthews Smith et al. v. Star Enterprise et al. about discriminatory hiring policies at Texaco. In addition to his legal work, Payne served as a youth minister at Cathedral of Faith Baptist Church, and was a life member of both the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He served as Grand Sire/national President of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
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