Locke T. Clifford

5/5.0

Peer Rating

Independently conducted by Martindale

Criminal Law

PRACTICE AREAS

• Assault and battery
• Bank fraud
• Burglary
• Check fraud
• Civil drug forfeiture
• Civil forfeiture
• Civil RICO
• Computer crimes
• Controlled substances law
• Credit fraud
• Criminal conspiracy
• Criminal defense
• Criminal fraud
• Criminal investigation
• Criminal law
• Criminal prosecution
• Drug crimes
• Drug forfeiture
• Malicious prosecution
• Manslaughter
• Money laundering
• Murder
• Parole and probation
• Post-conviction remedies
• Search and seizure
• Securities fraud
• Sex crimes
• Sexual assault
• Tax fraud
• Theft
• Weapons charges
• White collar crimes
• White collar criminal defense
• White collar fraud
• Wire fraud

EDUCATION

• University of North Carolina
  • B.A., English, 1964
  • J.D., U.N.C. School of Law, 1967

MILITARY

• Enlisted in United States Army — July 1968
• Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training — Fort Dix, NJ
• Infantry Officer Candidate School — 54th Company, OCS 21-69 — Ft. Benning, GA
  • Class President — 1969
• Commissioned as an Infantry Officer, 2nd Lieutenant  — June 1969
  • Promoted to 1st Lieutenant — June 1971
• Legal Officer, 10th Aviation Group — Ft. Benning, GA — 1969 – 1970
• Trial Counsel and Defense Counsel, Office of the Command Judge Advocate (J.A.G.)
  • USASUPCOMDNG, DaNang, South Vietnam — 1970 – 1971

PROFESSIONAL STATUS

• North Carolina State Bar since 1967
  • Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law since 1991
• Georgia State Bar since 1970, inactive status since 1989

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

• Clifford & Harris, PLLC (formerly Clifford Clendenin & O’Hale, formerly McNairy & Clifford); 1973 – 2021— Senior Partner
• Part-time Instructor of Business Law, School of Business, UNC-G, 1975 – 1977
• Assistant Solicitor, 18th Judicial District, Greensboro, NC, 1971 – 1973
• Trial Counsel and Defense Counsel, Office of the Command Judge Advocate
  • USASUPCOMDNG, DaNang, South Vietnam — 1970 – 1971
• Legal Officer, 10th Aviation Group — Ft. Benning, GA — 1969– 1970
• Collier, Harris and Collier, Attorneys at Law, Statesville, NC
  • Associate, 1967 – 1968
• United States Merchant Marine , S.S. Transyork, 1963

CRIMINAL LAW EXPERIENCE

More than 150 jury trials to verdict, roughly half as prosecutor and half as defense counsel. I have resolved more than 1,000 criminal cases, state and federal, felonies and misdemeanors, without jury trials.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

• Listed as one of North Carolina’s Top 100 Lawyers in North Carolina Super Lawyers 2006 – 2013
• Listed as one of North Carolina Super Lawyers 2006 – 2016
• Listed as one of North Carolina’s Legal Elite in the area of Criminal Defense in Business North Carolina, January 2004 – 2011 issues
• Listed as one of North Carolina’s Legal Elite as a member of the “Hall of Fame” in Business North Carolina, 2012 – 2015
• Listed in North Carolina magazine’s list of Best Lawyers in North Carolina in the area of White Collar Criminal Defense and in the area of Non-White Collar Criminal Defense, 2009– 2010
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America, published by Woodward/White, Inc., 1989 – 2015
• Listed in the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 – 2012
• Received the Second Annual Wade Smith Award from the Criminal Justice Section of the North Carolina Bar Association for exemplifying the highest ideals and professionalism within the criminal justice system, 2009
• Recognized as the “Outstanding Lawyer of the Year for 1983” by the Greensboro Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
• American Board of Trial Advocates — 1999 – 2014
• American Board of Criminal Lawyers — Member since 2009
• American College of Trial Lawyers — Fellow since 1996
  • Federal Criminal Procedures Committee — 1998 – 2003
    • “The American College of Trial Lawyers Proposed Modification to the Relevant Conduct Provisions of the United States Sentencing Guidelines, a Report of the Federal Criminal Procedure Committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers”, American Criminal Law Review, Volume 38, Number 4, Fall 2001, published by the Georgetown University Law Center
    • “The American College of Trial Lawyers Report and Proposal on Section
    • 5K1.1 of the United States Sentencing Guidelines,” including the proposed amendment to Section 5K1.1 and the companion provision, 18 USC § 3553 (e) and to Rule 35, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, American Criminal Law Review, Volume 38, Number 4, Fall 2001, published by the Georgetown University Law Center
  • North Carolina State Committee — 1999 – 2003
• AV® Preeminent^TM Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• American Bar Association — since 1973
  • Member of Criminal Justice Section
• American Inns of Court, Guilford Inn of Court, Master of the Bench — 1995 – present
  • Vice-President/Program Chairman — 2005 – 2007
  • President — 2007 – 2008
  • Emeritus Status — 2009
• Committee on Indigent Appointments for the Eighteenth Judicial District — 1995 – 2001
• Criminal Justice Act Attorney Qualifications Review Committee, U.S. District Court, Middle District of NC
  • Chairman — 1986 – 1994
• Criminal Justice Act Panel. USDC, MDNC — member since 1973
• Federal Judiciary Advisory Council — 1992 – 1995
• Greensboro Bar Association — member since 1971
  • President, Young Lawyers Division — 1974
  • Young Lawyers Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect — 1975
  • Ethics Committee — 1982
  • Secretary — 1991 – 1992
  • Director — 1995 – 1996
  • Quality of Life Committee Member since 1996
  • Constitution, By-laws and Archives Committee — Chairman — 1996 – 1999
  • President-Elect — 1999 – 2000
  • President — 2000 – 2001
  • Immediate Past President — 2001 – 2002
  • Chair, Race Relations Symposium — April 2002
  • Nominating Committee Chair — 2001 – 2002, 2006
  • Membership Committee — 2003 – 2004
• Greensboro Criminal Defense Lawyers Association — since 1977
  • President — 1979 –1981
• Governor’s Task Force on Drunken Drivers — 1982
• Guilford County Courtroom Security Committee since 2001
• National Association of Counsel for Children, Denver, CO — 1976
  • Board of Directors — 1977
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers — since 2007
• North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers — since 1975
  • Lawyers Assistance Committee — since 1992
    • Vice-Chairman — 1992
  • Member of Criminal Defense Section
• North Carolina Bar Association
  • Criminal Law Section Member
    • Vice-Chairman, Criminal Law Section — 1981
    • Chairman, Criminal Law Section — 1981 – 1983
  • Board of Governors — 1984 – 1987
  • Administration of Justice Study Committee — 1988 – 1990
  • Long Range Planning Committee — 1999
• North Carolina Bar Foundation Trial Practice Curriculum Committee — 1986
• North Carolina Child Abuse and Neglect Resources Center, UNC Memorial Hospital Chapel Hill, NC — 1975 – 1977
  • Advisory Board Chairman — 1975 – 1977
• North Carolina Civil Liberties Union — since 1975
• North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission — since 1998
  • N.C. Bar Association Appointee
  • Member of Subcommittee on Youthful Offenders
• North Carolina State Bar
  • Criminal Law Specialty Committee — 2001 – 2006
  • Eighteenth Judicial District Bar
    • Study Committee on Grievance Procedures — 1989
    • President-Elect — 1998 – 1999
    • President — 1999 – 2000
    • Nominating Committee — 2001 – 2002
    • Fee Dispute Resolution Mediator — 2002 – 2005
• Southern States Police Benevolent Association, Inc., Legal Defense Attorney since 1991
• University of North Carolina School of Law
  • Judicial Sentencing Seminar — Panel Participant — 2003, 2005
• University of North Carolina School of Law Alumni Association
  • Board of Directors, Region 4 Representative — 2005 – 2007
• Wong Sun Society of San Francisco —Inducted March, 2000

PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS

• “Trial Publicity — Keeping One Step Ahead of Your Opponent” — Hot Topics in Criminal Law, Criminal Justice Section of North Carolina Bar Association, November 11, 2006
• “Litigation Skills for Public Interest and Public Sector Lawyers” — jointly sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and UNC School of Government, Chapel Hill, NC, January 20, 2006
• “The Future Is Now — Multi-Disciplinary Practice, E-Commerce, and The Electronic Courtroom” — GBA Annual CLE Seminar, Greensboro, NC, February 17, 2000
• “Opening and Closing Argument Checklist” — Criminal Justice Section of N.C. Bar Association Annual Meeting, Pinehurst, NC, November 19 – 20, 1999
• “Misdemeanor Structured Sentencing, North Carolina Structured Sentencing Act, Effective October 1, 1994” — North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Greensboro, NC, September 22, 1995
• “Can the Criminal Justice System Survive O. J.?” — North Carolina District Attorneys’ Association, Charlotte, NC, June 12, 1995
• “Flat Fees: Firm, Fixed and Fair” — Wake Forest School of Law Criminal Law Seminar — Chapter 2, Professionalism and Ethics, Raleigh, NC, October 13 – 14, 1994
• “The North Carolina Structured Sentencing Act: Six Problems in Ethics and Practical Application for Criminal Defense Lawyers” — North Carolina Bar Foundation, Asheville, NC, September 16 – 17, 1994
• “Fees: How to Get Them, How to Keep Them” — Criminal All-Star Program, Criminal Justice Section, North Carolina Bar Association, Raleigh, NC, December 6, 1991
• “The North Carolina Criminal Procedure Act — Selecting and Empanelling the Jury” — North Carolina Bar Foundation, Raleigh, NC, September 18, 1987
• “In Celebration of the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution” — Greensboro, NC, September 17, 1987
• “The Investigative Grand Jury — Big Brother Comes to North Carolina” — North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Raleigh, NC, June 1, 1987
• “Flexibility in Jury Selection” — North Carolina Public Defenders’ Conference, Boone, NC, November 13, 1986
• “Cross Examination of Children, An Interdisciplinary Approach” — co-authored with Minta Saunders, Ph.D. — North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Wilmington, NC, August 24, 1984
• “A Defense Counsel’s Perspective of Drunk Driving Cases Under the New Law” — North Carolina Bar Association, Raleigh, NC, May 20, 1983
• “Practice Manual for Use by Attorneys Appointed Guardians Ad Litem for Children Allegedly Abused or Neglected” — North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, 1978

NON-PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Boy Scouts of America
  • Eagle Scout, Troop 152, Ware Shoals, SC – 1957
  • Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 203 — 1972 – 1977
  • Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 216 — 1987 – 1995
• Buffalo Creek Sailing and Offshore Racing Society
  • Commodore — 1987
• Family Life Council
  • Board of Directors — 1980 – 1981
• Friends of the Library of UNC-G — 1990 – present
  • Board of Directors — 1990 – 1993
• GIRLS since 1997
• Grassroots Productions Ltd.
  • Director since 1986
  • Portrays Uncle Sam on Independence Day — Fun Fourth Festival
• Greensboro Bats Baseball, Inc.
  • Limited Partner since 1993
  • Portrays Uncle Sam at July 4th Home Games
• Greensboro Child Abuse and Neglect Study Commission — 1973 – 1974
• Greensboro Day School
  • Junior Class Backpacking Trip Leader — 1994 – 1999
• Greensboro Oratorio Society- “Messiah” Chorus — 1985 – 1994
• Mental Health Association of Greensboro, Inc.
  • Board of Directors — 1981
• Piedmont Men’s Chorus — 1997 – 1998
• West Market Street United Methodist Church since 1974
  • Sunday School teacher — 1975 – 1995
  • Chancel Choir Member — 1992 – 1995
  • Race and Religion Committee — 1993 – 1995
  • Church and Social Policy Committee
    • Chairman —1995