Clifford Winter Duke is a Dallas-Fort Worth criminal defense lawyer and Senior Trial Attorney at Michael & Associates Criminal Defense Attorneys with more than two decades of legal experience and a career dedicated to criminal defense. Since earning his law degree in 2004, Mr. Duke has represented individuals facing criminal charges ranging from Class C offenses to the most serious felony allegations, including capital murder cases.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Duke grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Southeast Idaho. He attended Gonzaga University, where he completed both his undergraduate studies and legal education, earning his Juris Doctor in 2004.
After law school, Mr. Duke moved to Texas with his wife and began his legal career practicing plaintiff's law and criminal defense. In 2008, he joined the Dallas County Public Defender's Office, where he spent the next seventeen years representing indigent Texans accused of criminal offenses. During his tenure, he handled cases at every level of the criminal justice system, from municipal offenses and misdemeanors to serious felony prosecutions and capital murder charges.
Mr. Duke's extensive criminal defense experience has provided him with firsthand knowledge of the legal, procedural, and constitutional issues that arise throughout the criminal justice process. Having represented clients facing a broad spectrum of criminal allegations, he understands the significant impact that criminal charges can have on a person's freedom, reputation, career, and future.
In addition to his courtroom practice, Mr. Duke has been an active leader within the Texas criminal defense community. He is a Past President of the Collin County Young Lawyers Association and the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He currently serves as a Director of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and as a Board Member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Project, where he helps support the education and training of criminal defense attorneys throughout Texas.
