I'm Thomas H. Clifton, and since 2001 I've been fighting for the the people of Franklin, Granville, Vance, and Warren Counties.  Whether serving as an Assistant District Attorney for the state of North Carolina or in private practice, my mission has always been about justice!

Now the reason I'm so passionate about what I do,  stems from the first time I encountered injustice. When I was just five years old, I watched in horror as my mother was wrongfully accused and arrested for a crime she didn't commit...   

I can still hear her cries, as the deputies ripped my baby sister from her arms, and how she begged them to allow my grandmother to take me and my siblings, so we wouldn't have to be placed in the custody of the Department of Social Services...  

But the worst part was standing there feeling helpless, as I watched Mama being handcuffed and pushed into the back of a squad car.  It would be weeks before her lawyer, who would later become my mentor, was able to get the charges dismissed so she could finally get out of jail!

And when she got home, Mamma must have noticed how upset I was because

she kept asking me what was wrong?  I told her, "It made me so sad to see you cry that when I get big I'm gonna get those men who took you away from us and beat'em  up!"  

That's when she sat me on her lap and said, "Son the only way to fight men like that is in a courtroom using the law, not your fists!  So keep doing good in school now, and when the time comes you'll be ready.  And don't you worry about Mamma, I'm fine, but promise me you'll fight for the folks out there being mistreated."  

And as she reached down and wiped my tears I said, "Yes ma'am."

Now, it's been over forty years since I made that promise.  A lot of memories have faded and Mamma now watches over me from Heaven. But each time I look out my office window,  I'm reminded of her faith and courage as I stare at the very same building where she was once jailed... 

And I thank God Almighty  for empowering me to Fight For Justice In The Same Courthouse Where My Mama Prevailed!