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CJ Section Honors Grannis, Clifford

Article Date: Monday, May 11, 2009

The Criminal Justice Section of the North Carolina Bar Association held its second awards banquet on Thursday evening, May 7, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Cary with Section Chair Ames Chamberlin presiding.

The event featured presentation of section awards honoring a prosecutor and a defense attorney whose careers exemplify the highest ideals of the profession. The awards are named for the initial recipients, District Attorney Peter Gilchrist of Mecklenburg County and attorney Wade M. Smith of Raleigh, who were honored last year.

Judge Johnson, left, presents honor to Grannis.

District Attorney Edward W. Grannis Jr. of Fayetteville was honored as the second recipient of the Gilchrist Award. The award was presented by Judge E. Lynn Johnson, Chief Resident Superior Court Judge for the 12th District (Cumberland County) where Grannis serves.

Locke T. Clifford of Greensboro is the second recipient of the Wade Smith Award, which Smith presented.

Grannis is a past president of the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys whose service as district attorney in Cumberland County ranks among the longest active tenures in the state.

“Many of the younger prosecutors have no firm grasp of Ed’s contributions to the reforms in our justice system during his long years of service,” the nomination for Grannis stated, “but they have been significant.”

Grannis was especially effective in initiating a case management system that enabled defense attorneys to provide input into calendaring decisions, the nomination added. “It was Ed’s model and his leadership that led to the statutes we now have regarding calendaring.

“He was definitely ahead of the curve in his belief as a prosecutor that the ‘justice system’ had to provide for input from defense attorneys if we were to be more than just a ‘system.’ ”

Locke Clifford, left, and Wade Smith display award.

Clifford serves as senior partner with Clifford, Clendenin & O’Hale, LLP, and was the second chair of the Criminal Justice Section, serving a two-year term from 1981-83. He is a 1964 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and 1967 graduate of the UNC School of Law.

“Lock embodies the perfect balance of the intellectual ability, commitment to justice, humility and common sense that is required to be an outstanding defense lawyer,” his nomination stated. “Despite many years of practice, he still loves the law!”

Clifford served in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of 1st lieutenant. He served as trial counsel and defense counsel in the Office of the Command Judge Advocate.