Allison Clayton

Allison Clayton

Allison Clayton is a seasoned appellate and writ attorney with her own small practice. She is also the Deputy Director of the Innocence Project of Texas and the Adjunct Professor of the Innocence Clinic at Texas Tech School of Law. Allison started out her career with several years as a briefing attorney, first for the Second Court of Appeals in Texas and then for the Northern District of Texas.

While Lubbock, Texas is Allison’s home, she practices all over the State of Texas and the nation. She has litigated cases at every level of the court system — from county courts all the way through the U.S. Supreme Court, and from South Padre, Texas, all the way up to Yankton, South Dakota. She was the Chair of the Amicus Committee and Co-Chair of the COVID-19 Taskforce for the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) for several years and is a current board member. She is the recipient of the Women Making History Award presented by Texas Tech University (2023), the President’s Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Award presented by Texas Tech University (2022), the Charles Butts Pro Bono Award presented by TCDLA (2021), the Rising Star Award presented by the Texas Tech University School of Law (2019), the Arthur von Briesen Award presented by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (2018), and multiple President’s Awards presented by TCDLA. Her work has been featured on multiple streaming platforms, including 20/20, Hulu, NPR, and several podcasts; covered by (among others) the LA Times, USA Today, Texas Monthly, the Irish Times, and France’s Society Magazine. She currently has two documentaries in filming and one in final production.

In addition to her litigation, Allison also regularly consults with lobbyists to work with state and federal congresspeople interested in advancing the cause of criminal justice and the wrongly convicted.

Most importantly, however, she is responsible for numerous appellate and post-conviction reversals, including several complete exonerations for her clients.

Areas of Practice

• Appeals
• Post-conviction

Bar Admissions

• Supreme Court of the United States
• 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
• 8th Circuit Court of Appeals
• Federal District Court
  • Northern District of Texas
  • Southern District of Texas
  • Eastern District of Texas
  • Western District of Texas

Education

• Texas Tech School of Law, Lubbock, Texas — J.D. May 2007
  • Summa Cum Laude
• Texas Tech Rawls College of Business — May 2004
  • Magna Cum Laude

Awards

• Woman Making History
  • Texas Tech University, 2023
• President’s Excellence in Engaged Scholarship
  • Texas Tech University, 2022
• Charlie Butts Pro Bono Attorney of the Year
  • Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2021
• Rising Star Award
  • Texas Tech University School of Law, 2019
• Arthur von Briesen Award
  • National Legal Aid and Defender Association, 2018
• Presidential Award
  • Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  • 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Other Experience

• Innocence Project of Texas
  • Deputy Director
  • 2016-present
  • innocenceTexas.org
• Texas Tech University, School of Law
  • Adjunct Professor & Director, Innocence Clinic
  • 2016-present

Professional Associations & Memberships

• Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  • Board Member, 2022-present   
  • Former Chair, Amicus Committee, 2017-2020
  • Co-Chair, COVID-19 Taskforce, 2020-present
  • Member, 2015-present
• Lubbock Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  • Board Member, 2016-2018
  • Member, 2014-present
• Lubbock County Bar Association
  • Member, 2016-present