Meet Jaymie
Although four lawyers are campaigning to become Randolph County Circuit Judge for Division II, only one has judicial experience: Jaymie Godwin Wilfong. Wilfong served as Randolph County's Circuit Judge from January 1, 2009, until October 2014. Immediately before that, she served a six-year elected term as Family Court Judge for Randolph, Tucker, and Grant Counties. "Experience matters," explained Wilfong. "For nearly twelve years, I was a judge in Randolph County. I treated parties who appeared before me fairly, regardless of who they were or what they had. I didn't play favorites. I demonstrated year after year that I have the legal skills, the ability, and the judicial temperament to be the Circuit Judge. I did my level best to render firm, fair rulings."
During Wilfong's time on the bench, she served a term as President of the West Virginia Family Court Judicial Association. She served—by appointment of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals—on the Judicial Hearing Board and the West Virginia Juvenile Justice Commission. To fill a vacancy, she sat on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals itself as a Special Supreme Court Justice. And, she was chosen as the Circuit Judge to present a section of the "Bridge the Gap" program, which is mandatory legal education for newly-admitted lawyers.
Wilfong was instrumental in creating and managing Randolph County's Juvenile and Adult Drug Courts. Wilfong was initially opposed to the idea. "I had not seen a drug court, with that type of treatment and intensive supervision integrated into a court setting." But bringing badly-needed services for supervision and therapy to Randolph County to help address the drug problems for juveniles—in a controlled setting involving mandatory drug testing and clear consequences for non-compliance—was appealing. The success of the Juvenile Drug Court made Wilfong’s decision to start an Adult Drug Court to expand the programs aimed at addressing the drug problem easier. The hundreds of hours of hard work Wilfong invested in those programs have paid big dividends in helping people get clean and stay clean. And the benefits have continued: both drug courts are still operating in Randolph County.
Jaymie Godwin Wilfong has been a practicing lawyer or judge for 28 ½ years. Wilfong has twice operated a private law practice in Elkins. She has extensive experience in the kinds of cases which are regularly heard in Circuit Court, such as criminal, juvenile, and child neglect cases. She's worked as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Upshur County. She has taught many courses for lawyers and judges. And, for the third year in a row, Wilfong has been voted as the People's Choice Best Attorney (as tallied by The Inter-Mountain).
Wilfong is active in the Randolph County community. She has been a President of GFWC Junior Woman's Club of Elkins, she is a past member of Elkins Rotary, a former board member for the Randolph County Sheltered Workshop/Seneca Designs, and she has served as a Trustee for First United Methodist Church in Elkins. Jaymie and her husband, Matt Wilfong, have been married for nearly 24 years. Wilfong is the daughter of Janet England Godwin, and the late Karl D. "Joe" Godwin.
Education:
- Elkins High School – Graduate/Diploma 1988
- West Virginia University – B.S. Speech Pathology/Audiology, Magna Cum Laude
- West Virginia University – J.D. College of Law
Work History:
- Cardot Law Office (1995 – 2000)
- The Law Office of Jaymie Godwin Wilfong (2000 – 2002)
- Family Court Judge: Randolph, Tucker, and Grant Counties (January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2008)
- Circuit Court Judge: Randolph County (January 1, 2009 – December 2014)
- Wilfong Law Office, PLLC (December 2014 – Present)
- Fairmont State College/Fairmont State University – Instructor of multiple law-related collegiate
courses during multiple semesters. - Davis & Elkins College – Instructor of law-related collegiate courses during multiple semesters.
- Assistant Prosecuting Attorney of Upshur County, West Virginia for approximately one year.
