SOPHISTICATED WOMAN MAGAZINE on August 1, 2019

“A Lifetime of Preparation”

Will Crain always wanted to practice law, a passion that was no doubt fueled in part when, at age six, he watched his father sworn in as the second-youngest judge in Louisiana history. Those are large shoes to fill, but he was never pressed to fill them. If you ask Will, he’ll tell you having grown up watching his father work, he never felt his career path would lead him to be a judge. He never took a case or a job with the idea that it would position him to be elected judge. And while he didn’t plan to one day seek a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court, he exudes the confidence born from a skill set and 33 year career he believes has prepared him for the job.  

Will spent 22 years as a partner and practicing lawyer with Jones Fussell law firm in Covington before being elected and serving on the 22nd Judicial District Court for St. Tammany and Washington parishes from 2009 to 2013. Seven years ago, he took the bench on the First Circuit Court of Appeal and has now authored over 300 written and published opinions. Will’s focus was to make a positive impact on people’s lives and our court system: “My service as an appellate court judge has given me the chance to impact the body of law in Louisiana—the opinions we write and publish form the body of law that shape how lawyers work and how people live their lives every day,” he says. “I am humbled to have the opportunity to contribute to that body of law and to affect how district court judges apply that law to the people and interests that come before them.”