Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby LLP

Title: Partner
Primary Office: Norristown, PA
Practice Area/s: Family Law
Telephone: 610.272.5555 | Fax: 610.272.6976
Email: dclifford@wglaw.com

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Professional Experience:

Daniel J. Clifford is a member of the Firm's Family Law practice group and managing partner of the Norristown office. He is engaged in litigation before Common Pleas and appellate courts on matters involving divorce, equitable distribution of marital property, child custody, support, protection from abuse, domestic and international adoptions and civil contempt matters.

Mr. Clifford is active in the practice area of international custody issues and has received recognition from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program for his representation of clients in this subject area on numerous occasions. He authored "What To Do About International Child Abduction" in The Practical Lawyer (June 1996) and was a delegate to the North American Symposium on International Child Abduction.

From 2009-2013, Mr. Clifford has been recognized by the publisher of the Pennsylvania edition of Super Lawyers magazine as being among the top 5 percent of practitioners in his practice specialty within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Clifford was appointed by Governor Richard Thornburgh and confirmed by the Senate of Pennsylvania as a Member of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees from 1979 to 1981.

Active in the community, Mr. Clifford has served as chairman of the Zoning Hearing Board in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, since January 1997. He is also a member of the board of Directors of Adoptions From The Heart, a nonprofit adoption agency with offices in six states. In June 2009, he was appointed by the Commissioner’s of Montgomery County to a three year term on the Citizen’s Advisory Board of the Office of Children and Youth.

Mr. Cliffort has achieved an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. Clifford has also authored numerous articles, including:

• "Earning Capacity v. Earning History: Dennis v. Whitney," Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, September 2004
• "Second Parent Adoption: Supreme Court Puts End to Absurdity," Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, December 2002
• "What To Do About International Child Abduction," The Practical Lawyer, June 1996

In addition, Mr. Clifford has also been cited in numerous articles regarding family law issues including:

• "Trading Spaces," Law Firm Inc., January/February 2006 Vol. 4, No. 1 issue
• "Creating Families Across The World: Lawyers Aid in Process Towards International Adoption," The Legal Intelligencer, August 14, 2000

Education:

University of Baltimore, J.D., 1984.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, B.A., 1981.

Professional Memberships and Activities:

Mr. Clifford was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1984.

He has been active in the Montgomery Bar Association and served as chair of the Family Law Section (2004). He was elected by the Bar membership to terms on the Board of Directors (2004-2007) and the Judiciary Committee (2007-2009) and has served by appointment on the Bar Association's Executive Committee (2004) and Nominating Committee (2004, 2005). He is currently chair of the Diversity Committee and a Zone 9 Delegate to the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates (2006-2010). In 2008, he was elected treasurer of the Family Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and, after traditional officer succession, will be chair of the 1,400-member Section in 2013. He serves on the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section Council (2004-2007, 2008 to the present), Executive Committee (2007, 2008 to the present) and was previously chair of the Rules Committee (2006) and co-chair of the Program Committee (2007). He was also vice chair of the American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Alternative Families Committee (2003-2005).

Mr. Clifford has frequently lectured on a variety of family law topics at various conferences and programs given by the Montgomery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations including:

"Diversity and Inclusion: What Works?" to be presented at the 2008 Diversity Summit, of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Minority Bar Committee (October 2008)
"The Judicial Interview of the Child," Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Section (February 2008)
"Solving Obstacles to International Adoptions," Adoption Law: Start to Finish seminar presented by National Business Institute (November 2007)
First Annual Past Presidents Practice Pointers, presented at the Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Section (October 2007)
"Rules of Evidence - Practical Applications," presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section Summer Conference (July 2006)
"Update on International Family Law," presented at the American Bar Association International Law Section Spring Meeting (April 2006)
"Missed Opportunities: Issues Affecting the Legal Rights of the Gay & Lesbian Community," presented to the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (March 2006)
"Life's a Beach - Dealing with the Difficult Client," presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section Summer Conference (July 2005)
"The Judicial Interview of the Child," presented to the -Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Section (September 2004)
"Domestic Partnership Agreements: Prenuptials Without the Nuptials," presented at the American Bar Association Family Law Section Spring Conference (April 2004)
"Update on Family Law," presented to the Montgomery County Domestic Relations Officers (April 2002)
"Crossing Borders, Crossing Seas - International Issues in Family Law," presented to the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (February 2002)
"Issues Surrounding Second Parent Adoption," presented to the Philadelphia Bar Association Family Law Section (November 2001)
Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Section Practicum (November 2001)
"Adoption of a Child: The Interstate & Complex Path to Parenthood" presented to the Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Section (December 2000)
"Hillary Rodham Clinton v. Bill Clinton: Alimony Trial," presented to the Villanova Law School Family Law Society (November 1999)
Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Section Practicum (November 1999)
"International Child Custody & Abduction Law," presented at a Montgomery Bar Association CLE Program (January 1999)
"Fundamentals of Family Law," presented to the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (March 1998, April 1997)
"International Child Custody Issues From Agreed Travel to Parental Abduction," presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section Summer Conference (July 1994)
"Annual Update of the Law," presented at a Montgomery Bar Association CLE Program (1996)
"Anatomy of a Child Custody Case," presented at a Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Practicum (September 1992)