Email

[email protected]

Office

(805) 428-3304

Partner

Cliff P. Riley


An award-winning Texas trial lawyer, Cliff P. Riley is a dynamic force in the courtroom.

Known for his creativity and persistence, Cliff applies a full-throttle litigation approach that changes outcomes for his clients.   

Cliff is trusted to take charge of high-stakes cases for a wide range of clients, including Fortune 100 companies, high-net-worth individuals and investors, high-profile politicians and public figures, and individuals and families who have been harmed. For all his clients, Cliff’s goal is the same: achieve justice. 

Practicing for over a decade at a national law firm, Cliff is one of Texas’s most experienced attorneys in the newly minted Texas Business Court.  Having had the first-ever hearing in the Texas Business Court and with approximately 100 hours of courtroom experience, Cliff is one of the State’s go-to lawyers for complex and large damages cases venued in this specialty business court. 

Cliff’s high-profile work has been covered by major media, including CBS News, the Dallas Morning News, WFAA, the Texas Lawbook, and KERA to name only a few. Having received and handled many media interview requests, Cliff sagely assists clients with public relations and crisis management issues.  Cliff began collecting accolades early in his career, having been recognized as one of D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers Under 40” and as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star.” 

Education

  • Pepperdine University School of Law. J.D.
  • University of Dallas, B.A. Politics

Prior Associations

  • Dykema, Litigation Partner
  • Law Clerk to the Hon. William F. Kuntz, II, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • Managing Editor, Pepperdine Law Review

Litigation Victories

  • Secured $40 million for client in complex real estate litigation matter
  • Won full victory for client in $60 million commercial dispute, including securing over $1.3 million in attorney’s fees at trial
  • Won summary judgment for client in aggressive fraud action
  • Defeated summary judgment motions in trade secret theft case for autonomous trucking company
  • Obtained dismissal of claims for gun manufacturing client on breach of contract, patent, and trade secret theft claims
  • Secured numerous temporary restraining orders and temporary injunction for large ranching client
  • Obtained favorable settlement for multimedia and television network company
  • Won appeal for major real estate developer preventing demolition of $60 million construction project 
  • Secured federal mandamus victory from Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that removed a lis pendens on a more than $300 million property and allowing sale of property to move forward
  • Secured grant of a Rule 202 Petition for a major political figure 
  • Argued about 34 hearings in the Texas Business Court during its first 18 months of operations, totaling approximately 100 hours of courtroom time 

Elite Counsel.
Bold Advocates.

We regularly represent clients in high-profile, complex cases involving key controversies at the intersection of law, business, and culture. Based in Dallas, we fight for the traditional rights of businesses, associations, nonprofits, religious groups, individuals, and government leaders in federal and state courts across the U.S. From trials and appeals to investigations and administrative proceedings, we confront and defeat overreach from both state and private actors.