Winston-Salem Attorney Chris Clifton Appointed to the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (October 19, 2011) - Christopher R. Clifton, J.D., a Winston-Salem criminal defense attorney and partner in Grace, Tisdale & Clifton, P.A., was recently appointed as a member of the North Carolina Sentencing and Advisory Commission.
The sentencing commission is an independent body that serves the N.C. General Assembly in an advisory capacity to recommend changes in sentencing guidelines - the N.C. state laws that dictate how much time a person who is convicted of a crime will serve. The commission meets four times a year and is made up of 30 members from all three branches of the government and all areas of the criminal justice system, and the public.
Clifton was appointed to the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Committee by Governor Bev Perdue for a fixed term of three years. "I am extremely pleased to have been selected to engage in this important public service," Clifton says. "As a criminal defense attorney, I work with the intricacies of the sentencing guidelines every day, and this is an excellent opportunity to be involved with lawmakers, judges and law enforcement as we work together to make policy recommendations, track legislation and structure policy for the state."
Clifton, a board certified specialist in state and federal criminal law, served as an assistant district attorney in Salisbury, N.C., before he joined the law practice of Michael A. Grace in Winston-Salem in 1997. In his criminal defense practice, he regularly appears in state and federal courts, and has argued numerous appeals before the N.C. Supreme Court, the N.C. Court of Appeals and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He recently received a favorable ruling from the United States Supreme Court in "United States of America v. Sandako Meshawn Brandon" in 2010.
In addition to his appointment to the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Committee, Clifton recently was appointed treasurer of the Federal Bar Association and a member of the Fee Dispute Committee for the N.C. State Bar. He is the former chair of the Criminal Justice Committee for the N.C. Bar Association and is a member of the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Forsyth County Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers Association and The Forsyth County Bar Association. Clifton has been chosen as Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite" every year since 2008 and was named one of the "N.C. Super Lawyers" from 2009 to 2011.
About Grace, Tisdale & Clifton, P.A.
The law firm of Grace, Tisdale & Clifton specializes in representing clients in various aspects of criminal and civil litigation, including personal injury, wrongful death, DWI, narcotics offenses, punitive damages, domestic relations, federal criminal appeals, Fourth Circuit appeals, and regulatory compliance with state and federal laws. For more information visit: www.nc-criminal-lawyers.com
