Christopher R. Clifton

Board Certified Specialist in State and Federal Criminal Law

Experience

After serving as Assistant District Attorney from 1995–1997 in Salisbury, N.C., and trying numerous cases in both District and Superior court, Chris joined the law practice of Michael A. Grace in Winston-Salem in 1997.  He currently engages in a criminal defense practice, appearing regularly in both state and federal courts.  He has argued appeals before the N.C. Supreme Court, the N.C. Court of Appeals, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He has handled federal cases in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and New York.  Chris was recently admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court to pursue a petition for writ of certiorari.

Education and professional associations

Chris received his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1995 and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish Language and Literature from North Carolina State University in 1992.  He currently serves as an adjunct professor for the Wake Forest University School of Law Clinic Program.

Chris is a member of the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Forsyth County Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers Association, the North Carolina State Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Forsyth County Bar Association, and the American Inns of Court.  He has been admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts, Western, Eastern, and Middle Districts, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1995, he received his certification from the North Carolina State Bar as a Board Certified Specialist in State and Federal Criminal Law.  He was elected as chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Criminal Justice section for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2006, and has been recognized by Business North Carolina magazine as one of the state’s legal elite in the field of criminal law.

Areas of practice

•     Criminal defense
•     Criminal conspiracy
•     Criminal forfeiture
•     Criminal appeals
•     DUI/DWI
•     Federal criminal law
•     Felonies

Chris can be contacted at cclifton@gtc-law.com.

Contact Grace, Tisdale & Clifton for a consultation on your legal matter today