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
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- 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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- 11th Circuit
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- U.S. Supreme Court
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- United States District Courts for the Northern & Middle Districts of Georgia
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Spanish: Spoken, Written
- Managing Attorney
- The Clifton Law Firm, LLC
- - Current
- Candidate for Georgia House of Representatives
- Georgia House of Representatives
- Candidate for Georgia State Senate
- Georgia State Senate
- Partner
- Consumer Attorney Services
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- Managing Attorney - Georgia Operations
- Albertelli Law
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- Law Clerk 2008
- 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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- Good Rating
- Avvo
- Peer Reviewed (5/5)
- Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Services
- Executive Council of the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division
- Elected Member
- Current
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- District of Columbia Bar # 1004023
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property Law Section
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- Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
- Volunteer Attorney
- - Current
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- State Bar of Texas # 24074043
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
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- State Bar of California # 270535
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property Law Section
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- The Florida Bar # 0064755
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
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- American Bar Association # 01323032
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property, Trust, and Estate Section
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- State Bar of Georgia
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property Law Section, Bankruptcy Section, and Creditor's Rights Section
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- Notary Public
- Fayette County Clerk of Court
- Q. Jurisdiction for legal case after semi-truck accident in Texas?
- A: The residence of your fiancée will not affect where the lawsuit should be filed. Texas courts will have jurisdiction over the claim because the accident occurred in Texas. The courts of the state where the trucking company is headquartered will also have jurisdiction over the claim because jurisdiction depends on the residence of the defendant. If the case is brought in Texas, the venue will be the county in which the accident occurred. If the case is brought in the state of the defendant's residence, the venue will be the county where the defendant is headquartered. One of the most important aspects of this scenario though is the statute of limitations. You are running out of time to file ... Read More
- Q. How is a personal loan handled in estate without a will if there's a shared mortgage?
- A: If the property is the only asset and it is titled as joint tenants with right of survivorship, the property will pass to you without having to pay the personal loan by operation of the deed. The mortgage will still exist, and you will still have to pay it. If the property is held as tenants in common, your father's 50% of the property, if homestead property, will pass to his heirs free from the personal loan. The mortgage will still have to be paid.
- Q. Can I get property titled in my name after 22 years of living and paying taxes in Georgia?
- A: You would have to file an adverse possession lawsuit. You would need to show that your possession of the property was adverse, notorious, open, continuous, hostile, and exclusive. Any permissive use of the property in the past by the actual owner would undermine your claim. Adverse possession lawsuits are often costly and time consuming. Schedule a free consultation to determine if you qualify for ownership by adverse possession.
