Robert Payne Cave Jr. was born in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1975. He is licensed to practice law in the State Courts of Tennessee and the Federal Court of the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Payne Jr. graduated with honors in geology from Bowdoin College in 1997. In addition, Payne played football as an offensive lineman for the Bowdoin College Polar Bears. He earned his J.D. from the Appalachian School of Law in 2007. Prior to attending law school, Payne Jr. studied financial accounting at Harvard University. In 2008, Payne Jr. was elected to the 40 under 40 class of the Business Journal of the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia. He serves on the board of directors of Greene County Skills, Inc. and is a member of the Kingsport and Greene County Bar Associations. Payne Jr. currently resides in Kingsport, Tennessee and works out of the Tri-Cities office in Kingsport, Tennessee.