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
-
Free Consultation
All consultations are free. - Credit Cards Accepted
-
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
-
- District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Bar
- ID Number: 1004023
-
- Florida
- The Florida Bar
- ID Number: 0064755
-
- Georgia
- State Bar of Georgia
-
- Texas
- State Bar of Texas
- ID Number: 24074043
-
- 11th Circuit
-
- U.S. Supreme Court
-
- United States District Courts for the Northern & Middle Districts of Georgia
-
- 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
- -
- Managing Attorney - Georgia Operations
- Albertelli Law
- -
- Law Clerk 2008
- Florida Coastal School of Law
- J.D. (2008) | Law
- -
- 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
-
- University System of Georgia - University of Georgia
- B.S. (2003) | Psychology
- -
- Honors: Psi Chi National Psychology Honor Society
-
- University System of Georgia - University of Georgia
- B.A. (2003) | Political Science
- -
- Honors: Hope Scholarship Recipient
-
- 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
-
- District of Columbia Bar # 1004023
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property Law Section
-
- Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
- Volunteer Attorney
- - Current
-
- State Bar of Texas # 24074043
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
-
- State Bar of California # 270535
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property Law Section
-
- The Florida Bar # 0064755
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
-
- American Bar Association # 01323032
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property, Trust, and Estate Section
-
- State Bar of Georgia
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Real Property Law Section, Bankruptcy Section, and Creditor's Rights Section
-
- Notary Public
- Fayette County Clerk of Court
- Q. How much can a mortgagor's Agent charge as the fee to collect surplus funds?
- A: Do not, under any circumstance, sign a contract with a non-attorney for surplus funds recovery in Georgia. Many of these "mortgagor's agents" are unscrupulous and prey upon vulnerable people who have just been foreclosed. These "agents" then turn around and hire an attorney with your money. Cut out the middle man and hire an attorney directly. Some attorneys like myself charge a contingency fee that is lower than many of the "mortgagors agents" charge. You pay nothing up front and only owe a portion of the funds that the attorney is able to recover on your behalf. There is no law or regulation on how much a "mortgagor's agent" can charge, and ... Read More
- Q. my house was for closed done prior to foreclosure during default. I tried to sell it through a real estate agent,
- A: The trustee is required to provide you with notice of any money you are owed from the auction within 30 days of the foreclosure. If you haven't received that, there may not be any money. You can request the details from the foreclosure including the payoff amount and highest bid directly from the lender or foreclosure attorney. Sometimes it is difficult to locate the exact information you are looking for and hiring an attorney may be in your best interest. Most attorneys assisting clients with foreclosure surplus funds recovery charge a contingency fee, meaning you don't have to pay anything unless the attorney successfully recovers money for you. Schedule a free consultation to make ... Read More
- Q. This is to clarify whether I own partial of the house that parent's has since they passed and my name was on the deed.
- A: Your exact percentage depends on how the deed was worded. If it was a joint tenancy with right of survivorship, you own the entire property. If it was tenancy in common, you own your portion plus a portion of your parents part if they died without wills. Schedule a free consultation to have your deed reviewed to determine the exact ownership percentages.
