Bill White (lawyer)

Bill White (born 1945) is an American lawyer who served as Public Defender for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit from 2004-2008. He was elected to the position, which covers Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties, in 2004 after serving as Chief Assistant Public Defender under his predecessor Lou Frost since 1976.

Early life

White was born in Jacksonville in 1945, he graduated from Englewood High School in 1963 and entered the University of Florida the same year. He graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in 1967. He joined the United States Navy, serving from 1967 to 1971, when he returned to the University of Florida to attend the Fredric G. Levin College of Law.

Assistant Public Defender

In 1974, his final year of law school, he accepted an internship with the Public Defenders Office in Jacksonville under Lou Frost. He was appointed as Chief Assistant to Mr. Frost in 1976 and held the position until he was elected to head the office upon Frost's retirement in 2004.^[1]

Public Defender

In 2004, ran unopposed to replace Frost.^[2] In 2008 he drew a challenge from former Assistant Public Defender Matt Shirk. Issues during the race included pay for top attorneys, providing a way for indigent clients to pay the state back for their defense when they got enough money and reforming the method by which indigence of clients was determined.^[3] On Election Night, White won Duval County by 26, 320 votes. But when the final results came in from heavily Republican Clay and Nassau Counties Shirk had pulled ahead by 13,490 votes and White conceded.^[4][5]

Post-Election

Following his election loss, White assumed a position at Communities in Schools Jacksonville, a non-profit educational resource for underprivileged children.^[6] He served there until March 2010 when he entered retirement.

Term

References