About San Diego Criminal Defense Attorney Ward Stafford Clay
Ward Stafford Clay is a former San Diego Deputy District Attorney and a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Criminal Law. He has been practicing criminal law for over 23 years. Mr. Clay has been admitted to practice law before all state and federal courts in California and Hawaii including The United States Court of Appeals, The United States District Courts, The Supreme Court of California, The California Courts of Appeal and the California Superior Courts. He is also authorized to represent clients before state and federal administrative boards such as the California Department of Motor Vehicles and other state and federal licensing agencies. He is also a member of the American Bar Association and the San Diego County Bar Association.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Clay served as a criminal prosecutor for both the criminal division of the San Diego City Attorney’s Office and the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. While employed by the criminal division of the City Attorney’s Office, he was a top trial attorney and eventually promoted to the Chief of the Appellate Unit. In 1989, he joined the District Attorney’s office in San Diego where he was assigned as a trial attorney and a prosecutor for the elite J.U.D.G.E. unit, a specialized task force responsible for the investigation and prosecution of documented criminal street gang members involved with narcotics activities.
Since leaving the District Attorney’s office for private practice, Mr. Clay has used the legal and trial skills he aquired as a prosecutor to successfully defend countless federal and state criminal cases. Many of those cases involved high profile clients such as police officers, doctors, lawyers, corporate executives and other professionals who were accused by the government of criminal wrongdoing. Mr. Clay has also successfully pursued numerous appeals in the state and federal appellate courts which have resulted in important changes in the law beneficial to his clients.
Mr. Clay received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he graduated with honors and his doctorate of law from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Mr. Clay is also a member in good standing with the California State Bar Association and the Hawaii State Bar Association. He has consistently distinguished himself as an accomplished trial lawyer with a remarkable record for success and a honorable reputation among his peers. Mr. Clay has appeared in the local and national news networks as a criminal trial attorney, commentator and legal expert. ( San Diego Union Tribune, North County Times, ABC, NBC CBS2, KUSI, ) .
Ward Stafford Clay is a state certified specialist in criminal law. He has been practicing criminal law for over 20 years and is a member of the California State Bar Association, the Hawaii State Bar Association and is certified and admitted to practice law before The United States Court of Appeals, The United States District Courts, The United States Tax Court, The Supreme Court of California, The California Courts of Appeal and all California Superior Courts. If you or someone close to you has been or is about to be charged with a criminal offense, whether a misdemeanor or a felony, contact San Diego Criminal Defense Attorney Ward Stafford Clay as soon as possible for a free legal consultation. Just call (619) 234-1353 or Toll Free (877) 927-3252.
