Bill White is an American lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 who served as Public Defender

Public defender

The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...

 for Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

's Fourth Judicial Circuit

Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida

The Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida is a Circuit Court comprising Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties in northeast Florida.-External links:*...

 from 2004-2008. He was elected to the position, which covers Clay

Clay County, Florida

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 190,895. Its county seat is Green Cove Springs, Florida. Clay County is part of the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan area.- History :...

, Duval

Duval County, Florida

Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...

, and Nassau

Nassau County, Florida

Nassau County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 57,663. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 69,835. Its county seat is Fernandina Beach, Florida....

 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

Lou Frost

Louis O'Melville "Lou" Frost, Jr. was an American lawyer who served for 36 years as the elected public defender for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit, which consists of Duval, Nassau, and Clay counties...

. 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.

Public Defender

In 2004, ran unopposed to replace Frost. 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. 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.

Post-Election

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