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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- 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. I live in Indiana and inherited a vacant lot in Wakulla Co. Florida. My mom (the original owner) was also a resident of
- A: You will need to file probate in Florida. How complicated the process will be depends on if probate has already been filed in Indiana. If it has, ancillary administration can be filed in Florida. If probate has not been filed in Indiana, an original probate must be filed in Florida. If the lot is worth less than $75,000, summary administration can be filed. If the lot is worth more than $75,000, formal administration will be necessary. Additionally, there are law firms that will not charge fees up front and collect the fee for probate at the time of sale of the property. Schedule a free consultation today to make sure the property gets sold in the quickest and most efficient way possible.
- Q. I inherited half my uncle's residence which is a duplex. He receives rental income I get nothing Can I force him to sale
- A: You can force the sale through a partition lawsuit. In the lawsuit, the court determines if the property can be divided evenly. If the property cannot be physically divided, the court will force the sale of the property. Each party will receive half of the money from the sale subject to offset for expenses covered, insurance, taxes, maintenance, etc., and rent received. In this case, you may be entitled to more than half of the sale proceeds. Schedule a free consultation to protect your portion of the property and to make sure you receive the money you are entitled to.
- Q. If you file a Petition for probate court, how long does a respondent have to file an answer?
- A: After filing the probate petition, you need to have all interested parties served with a copy of the petition or sign a waiver of service. After the petition has been served, the respondent has 30 days to file an objection or other response. If no objection is received, you may proceed with your request for letters testamentary or letters of administration.
