Kaitlyn M. Payne

Kaitlyn M. Payne was born and raised in a very small town in Central New Jersey. Growing up her mother worked for a local police department, so she was exposed to the court system at a very young age. As a result of learning about the legal process so young, Kaitlyn knew from early on that the attorney life was for her.

After graduation from high school, Kaitlyn moved to Saint Augustine, Florida in 2005 to attend Flagler College. Within just a few months of living in Saint Augustine Kaitlyn was a passenger in a tragic car accident with a semi-truck driver who fell asleep behind the wheel, which not only ended with her own serious injuries, but also with the deaths of two of her friends. This experience ultimately solidified her path into the legal system and reignited her previous love for the law and desire to use it to help those in need.

Before graduating with an English major and double minor in History and Pre-Law, Kaitlyn loved being a Flagler college student and enjoyed serving as President of the Student Government for both her junior and senior year. She was also very active in her college’s only sorority, Phi Alpha Omega, serving as the social chair in her senior year.

After college, knowing she had a desire to be a litigator and to help the people of the State of Florida, she enrolled in Florida Coastal School of Law and received her J.D. in 2012. Public Service is her life’s calling and she knew that giving back to the community in whatever way she could had to be her next step. Kaitlyn made the choice to begin her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney with the 7th Judicial Circuit for the State of Florida. As a prosecutor, she was given the opportunity to handle thousands of criminal cases in juvenile delinquency court, misdemeanor (county court), and felony (circuit court). In her almost 12 years at the State Attorney’s Office, she was able to obtain substantial trial experience having tried over 50 criminal cases and several civil cases. Her trial experience within the criminal arena includes attempted murders, DUI manslaughters, sexual batteries, gun crimes, and various drug crimes just to name a few. As for civil cases, Kaitlyn tried several civil cases while at the State Attorney’s Office which are referred to as “Jimmy Ryce” cases. Jimmy Ryce cases are Florida’s version of Civil Commitment proceedings for Sexually Violent Predators.

In 2024, after serving the State of Florida for over a decade, Kaitlyn began working at the Law Offices of Shorstein and Lee where she currently practices in criminal defense and family law. She is also a member of the Florida Bar Grievance Committee and is an Adjunct Professor at her alma mater Flagler College teaching criminal law.

As for her home life, in 2019 she was married to her amazing husband Phillip, and they are proud to call Saint Augustine their home. Together, the two of them parent four beautiful children ranging from toddler age to a highschooler. In Kaitlyn’s free time, you can find her chasing after her children (a task not for the faint of heart) and hanging out around town enjoying all Saint Augustine has to offer.

Kaitlyn is an experienced aggressive litigator who has spent much of her career in the courtroom. She is ready to fight for you and your rights.