James Clifton
The Clifton Law Firm, LLC
James Clifton is the founding member of The Clifton Law Firm, LLC and oversees the firm's multi-state practice. During the course of his career, James has focused primarily on real property, bankruptcy, wills, trusts, and estates. Additionally, he possesses vast experience in suits to quiet title, real property and commercial lending transactions, comprehensive contract formation, title insurance claims, will drafting, estate planning, and probate litigation.
On the weekends, James enjoys donating his time to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation's Saturday Lawyer Program where he represents indigent clients on a pro bono basis. In addition, he represented Fayette County in the Georgia Attorney General’s state wide food drive, The Legal Food Frenzy. In the past, he has served as an elected member of the Executive Council of the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division and is a graduate of the prestigious Young Lawyer Leadership Academy. James is also a past president of the Fayette County Bar Association.
James is a member of the American Bar Association and its Real Property, Trust, and Estate Section. He is also an active member in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia and its Real Property Law Section, Bankruptcy Section, and Creditor's Rights Section; the Florida Bar and its Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section; the State Bar of California and its Real Property Law Section; the State Bar of Texas and its Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section; and the District of Columbia Bar and its Real Property Law Section.
In addition to the state licensures, James is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, and the United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit. On May 14, 2012, James was sworn into the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.
- Bankruptcy
- Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Debt Relief
- Probate
- Probate Administration, Probate Litigation, Will Contests
- Foreclosure Defense
- Real Estate Law
- Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Easements, Eminent Domain, Homeowners Association, Land Use & Zoning, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate, Water Law
- Landlord Tenant
- Evictions, Housing Discrimination, Landlord Rights, Rent Control, Tenants' Rights
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
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Free Consultation
All consultations are free. - Credit Cards Accepted
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Contingent Fees
For any accident or personal injury cases, we only get paid if you get paid. -
Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
We accept all major credit cards.
- California
- State Bar of California
- ID Number: 270535
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- District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Bar
- ID Number: 1004023
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- Florida
- The Florida Bar
- ID Number: 0064755
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- Georgia
- State Bar of Georgia
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- Texas
- State Bar of Texas
- ID Number: 24074043
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Spanish: Spoken, Written
- Managing Attorney
- The Clifton Law Firm, LLC
- - Current
- Florida Coastal School of Law
- J.D. (2008) | Law
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- Honors: Graduated 17th in the class with Cum Laude honors. Governors Merit Scholarship Recipient.
- Activities: Real Property, Trust, and Estates Law Society, Sports Law Society
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- University System of Georgia - University of Georgia
- B.S. (2003) | Psychology
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- Honors: Psi Chi National Psychology Honor Society
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- University System of Georgia - University of Georgia
- B.A. (2003) | Political Science
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- Honors: Hope Scholarship Recipient
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- Peer Reviewed (5/5)
- Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Services
- State Bar of California # 270535
- Member
- Current
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- District of Columbia Bar # 1004023
- Member
- Current
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- State Bar of Texas # 24074043
- Member
- - Current
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- The Florida Bar # 0064755
- Member
- - Current
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- American Bar Association # 01323032
- Member
- - Current
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- State Bar of Georgia
- Member
- - Current
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- Q. Is it legal in a real estate contract to inflate purchase price then have seller return money?
- A: A DSCR loan is a debt service coverage ratio loan. It is a special type of investment loan that compares debt service, interest and principal paid on a loan, to the net operating income of the property. However, what this buyer is describing is mortgage fraud, and you definitely don't want to get caught up in it. Your real estate agent should be guiding you during this process and should also be able to see this fraudulent behavior. Please feel free to reach out for a free consultation, whether you are working with a real estate agent or not. An attorney may be able to spot suspicious behavior that a real estate agent cannot.
- Q. I need assistance with a family dispute over real estate.
- A: Legally, if you could not come to an agreement regarding buying out her ownership interest in the property, you would need to seek a partition, which would split the property. If the property could not be split equitably, the court would order a sale of the property. If you want to avoid that, you will need to negotiate the transfer of your daughter's interest to you. Please feel free to reach out for a free consultation.
- Q. My home was foreclosed upon 4 y ago in ga. Tax assessors doc still listed house in my name todays date . Help
- A: A title search of the real estate records in the clerk of court's office would determine whether you are still the owner of the property. The tax records are not official records regarding title to real estate. If you are still the owner, the property would be subject to the mortgage, and you would have to make arrangements to get that paid. If the property has been foreclosed, there may be excess money from the foreclosure sale that you are entitled to. Please feel free to reach out for a free consultation regarding your ownership of the property or whether there are foreclosure sale proceeds you can collect.
