Jay E. Town '98: A Veteran with an Impeccable Military Service Record and Professional
Legal Career
Many Seton Hall Law students and alums choose to serve in our nation’s armed forces.
Answering this call with courage, personal sacrifice, and a strong sense of altruism
for their fellow citizens, Seton Hall Law veterans enrich our community because they
exemplify what it truly means to give back. Their strength and selflessness inspire
us to be better versions of ourselves. This call is certainly a strong reason why
they choose to pursue a legal career – to serve generously again in the interests
of transforming the lives of others through the power of the law. November is National
Veterans and Military Families Month. As we take a moment to reflect on the blessings
we have because of their sacrifice, we realize the importance of telling their personal
stories and how Seton Hall Law assisted in expanding their own personal calls to service.
Jay E. Town '98 is one such veteran with an impeccable military service record and professional legal
career. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1996 and served for 12 years,
achieving the rank of Major before receiving an honorable discharge in 2008. His decision
to attend Seton Hall Law drove his call to service in the Armed Forces. He would go
on to be a Judge Advocate in the Marines and help form the Madison County Veterans
Court in Alabama commissioned to the physical and mental health of veterans in the
criminal justice system. From there, he would go on to be Senior Violent Crimes Prosecutor
in the Madison County District Attorney’s Office from 2005-2017, where he formed the
first Veterans Treatment Court in the State of Alabama. Jay was nominated by President
Donald Trump to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama
and was sworn in later the same summer. While U.S. Attorney, Town served as Chairman
of the Servicemembers & Veterans Rights Subcommittee and was the primary liaison to
the Attorney General of the United States on legal issues impacting veterans. Town
spent a few moments with us on a number of topics ranging from why he joined the Marines,
why he chose Seton Hall Law, to advice he has for veterans entering law school. He
concludes with how Seton Hall Law prepared him for the prominent positions he has
held in his career.
Who are what inspired you to join the Marines?
During my time at the University of Notre Dame, many of my classmates and good friends
were ROTC. By the time I arrived at Seton Hall Law, many of them were already preparing
to head off to the fleet and do great things. They inspired me to consider the military
as a career path. I knew from the beginning that if I was to dedicate myself to military
service that my goal was to become a Marine. The Marine Corps will forever be the
greatest organization of which I had the privilege to be a part. Sharing that uniform
with so many brave men and women – past and present – will always be one of the high
honors of my life.
Why did you choose Seton Hall Law to pursue your legal education?
I chose Seton Hall Law because I wanted to stay within the framework of Catholic education.
That will always be very important to me and I certainly was blessed with that environment
at Seton Hall Law. But just as important was the reputation that Seton Hall Law had
built, and was building, as one of the finest law schools in America. Dean Boozang
and many of the current professors – even some of my classmates – are still on campus
teaching eager minds the practice of law. I don’t know if the world needs more lawyers,
but it sure needs more good ones!
What advice would you have to veterans entering law school?
My advice to the men and women who have served our country in uniform as they enter
law school is threefold:
One, use the immense training you have received, especially as it relates to discipline,
to negotiate through law school…especially your first year. There is no academic encounter
like 1L and it requires organization, dedication, and determination to succeed. Being
smart is not enough. Everyone in 1L is smart and some of them won’t be there come
second year.
Secondly, DO NOT COMPETE WITH YOUR PEERS. What I mean by that is when seeking employment,
clerkships, or whatever the next step might be, rely upon your individual accomplishments,
your individual acumen, and those virtues that endow “you” to reach your goals. You
do not have to tear down others to be the tallest standing.
Finally, continue your service. It is not necessary that your legal career be one
of public service, like a prosecutor for instance, but find something outside of the
firm or the office that allows you to contribute to some cause worthy of your time.
Engage in philanthropy. Continue to serve. Your time, talent, or treasure can always
make a difference in the lives of others. It’s my judgment that every lawyer, but
especially veterans, should embrace this philosophy. And then pass it on!
On August 11, 2017, Town was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the Northern
District of Alabama. Being nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate
is a once in a lifetime opportunity. He capitalized on the experience by spearheading
the greatest increase in federal prosecutions in the history of the Northern District
and creating numerous programs now acclaimed as best practices by U.S. Attorneys.
Is there an accomplishment during your time as U.S. Attorney that you are most proud
of?
I am incredibly proud of the relationships that the Department of Justice, my office
in particular, built with local and state law enforcement, which includes state prosecutors.
Early on we recognized that most of the investigations and prosecutions in this country
take place at the state level. In fact, I personally resisted cooperating with “the
feds” during my time as a state prosecutor. That was a mistake…is a mistake. With
prison overcrowding and depleting state budgets, the cooperatives we built were leveraged
to transfer the prosecution of violent recidivists to federal court, where there is
no sanctuary of parole. Since 2017, the Justice Department has broken every record
for the prosecution of violent offenders…especially drug dealers and trigger pullers.
I am also very proud of the work that I contributed to the “China Initiative”, which
is the Administration’s whole-of-government approach to dealing with the threats that
Communist China poses to our national security and American economy. American ingenuity
and intellectual property is being compromised by China, costing the U.S. hundreds
of billions annually, which is why our counter to Chinese economic espionage and market
manipulation has been so critical in the defense of our nation.
Also, I had the privilege to serve on the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement
& the Administration of Justice…the first of its kind since LBJ. I was honored to
Chair a Working Group for the Commission and truly believe that the work we have collectively
provided the President offers positive reforms to the criminal justice system.
Finally, I had the privilege to argue before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
on behalf of the United States. I cannot imagine another scenario where I am asked
to represent the United States before an appellate court.
In his transition to the private sector on July 15, 2020, Town pursued another opportunity
to protect the defense of our nation once again. Town is currently the Vice President
and General Counsel of Gray Analytics, a military and aerospace defense contractor
that develops and provides, among other things, cyber and supply chain security measures
to both the Defense Industrial Base and commercial sectors. As VP, Town is engaged
in business development, oversees the company’s Investigations Group (e.g., digital
forensics, internal investigations, M&A monitorships, etc.), and engages routinely
with media, legislators, C-suite executives, and well-placed government personnel.
As General Counsel, Town provides daily legal advice to the executive team, examines
contractual relationships, and monitors internal policies, compliance, and risk management
for the company.
In addition to his professional service, his imprint can be found on a number of charitable
boards. Towns is a member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and is a
director for America’s Warrior Project. The National Society of the Daughters of the
American Revolution honored him with the Medal of Honor for his contributions to the
veteran community. He also is a founding member of The Bennie Adkins Society, which
offers scholarships to veterans in Alabama. In 2011, Town co-authored an amicus curiae
brief in U.S. v. Alvarez which was a U.S. Supreme Court case involving the Stolen Valor Act. Town assisted
Congress in following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Alvarez to craft a subsequent
version of the Stolen Valor Act, which remains the law of the land today. Finally,
Town served as Chairman of the Board for the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama,
having been a member of that board for nearly a decade.
Looking back, how did Seton Hall Law prepare you to serve in the prominent positions
you have held?
Most importantly, I took away a skillset from Seton Hall Law that I was only able
to appreciate much later in my career. The education I received there truly laid the
foundation for my career. I learned “how to read”, meaning I learned how to quickly
parse through a granular set of facts and quickly identify the issue or issues challenging
those facts as they collide with the law. Possessing this legal dexterity is truly
the one thing good attorneys bring to bear that positively distinguishes us from other
professions…and frankly each other. Perhaps just as important were the relationships
that I made while in law school that I still hold dear. Whether it was the Deans,
professors, or my classmates, life is so often times about relationships and I am
grateful for the lifetime friendships I made at Seton Hall Law. And have cherished
since.
The mission of Seton Hall Law is focused on preparing students to be practice ready
when they graduate and on producing lawyers who represent the core values of integrity,
loyalty and engagement. Through an earnest passion for the rule of law, compassion
for the veteran community, and a steadfast commitment to public service and safety,
Jay Towns represents these values and is an inspiration for future generations of
law students, but particularly to veteran law students.
Seton Hall Law Professor and U.S. Army Veteran, Jennifer Oliva, keeps our alumni apprised of legal changes that impact veterans.
- Professor Oliva recently published an article titled Representing Veterans in the Southern Methodist University Law Review advocating that veterans should have
the right to counsel in their initial VA benefits claims. Title 38 of the United States
Code precludes veterans from the right to judicial oversight of Department of Veterans
Affairs decisions that deny them of benefit entitlements. Federal statute also denies
veterans the ability to retain counsel at the commencement of the VA claims process
and to bring tort actions against the federal government to vindicate injuries they
obtained while in-service. Oliva examines the historical context of these policies
and provides an impassioned call to reform these unjust practices. Read the full article here.
- She also recently published a book chapter The Price of the Black Dollar: Veteran Coal Miners and the Right to Health, in When
Business Harms Human Rights: Affected Communities That Are Dying To Be Heard (Karen Bravo, Jena Martin, & Tara Van Ho, eds.) (2020). The chapter explores the significant
health and environmental impacts experienced by veterans and their communities related
to coal-mining and military service through first-person narratives. The book is available here.