Gay Polk-Payton was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to the late Ollie and Fannie Polk and she is the mother of one son, Gaybriel “Kobe” Payton, age 15. She was admitted to the practice of law in the state of Mississippi in September 1996 after completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master’s in Business Administration at the Universit
y of New Orleans with Master’s in Business and a Juris Doctor at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) School of Law. Gay is a member of the Mississippi, Magnolia and American Bar Associations, the Trial Lawyers Association, the Mississippi Justice Court Judge Association, the Hattiesburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta and President of the South Central Mississippi Bar Association. She was elected to serve as Forrest County Justice Court Judge in 2011. She is owner of Polk-Payton Law Office, and she serves as Adjunct Faculty Member with USM’s Human Performance and Recreation Department. She is licensed to practice law in all courts in the State of Mississippi, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and in the United States Supreme Court and she is a Certified Fitness Instructor.
