Clayton “Clay” Gillette is an Appellate Attorney at The Accurso Law Firm with significant civil litigation experience. Before entering private practice, he served as law clerk to Chief Justice William Ray Price, Jr., Supreme Court of Missouri. Clay then took a position as an Appellate Attorney at one of the largest law firms in the Midwest, handling appeals in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and in Federal Court. At this firm, he also gained valuable civil litigation experience.
In 2012, Clay started Gillette Law Office, LLC, where he handled a substantial number of criminal and civil appeals on behalf of individuals. He has filed briefs and argued cases in the Courts of Appeals for Missouri and Kansas, The Supreme Courts of Missouri and Kansas, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Clay also volunteers as a guardian ad litem, representing the best interests of minors in and around the Jackson County, Missouri metropolitan area.
Clay now uses his experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants at trial and on appeal to advocate for The Accurso Law Firm’s clients. The Firm believes that this experience helps its clients obtain the best results at trial and keep those results on appeal.
- Valedictorian, Saint Louis University School of Law 2005
- Woolsack Honor Society
- Academic Excellence Awards for Highest Grade in Fourteen Courses at Saint Louis University School of Law
- 1843 Scholars Award Winner, Saint Louis University School of Law
- 2018 David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Award Recipient
- 2019 Robert Duncan Appellate Excellence Award Recipient
- The Missouri Bar
- Kansas Bar Association
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- Jackson County Law Library
- Young Friends of the Missouri Botanical Garden
- The State of Missouri
- The State of Kansas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kansas
In 2015, Clay successfully argued in the Missouri Supreme Court to reverse nearly 30 years of case law regarding the standard of review in Sixth Amendment cases. State of Missouri v. Sylvester R. Sisco, II, Missouri Supreme Court SC93785 (decided March 10, 2015).
- Where Did Aspen Go?: How Courts are Dealing with Refusals to Deal Since Trinko 53 ST. LOUIS BAR J. 18 (2007).
- Appointing Special Masters to Evaluate the Suggestiveness of a Child-Witness
- Interview: A Simple Solution to a Complex Problem 49 ST. LOUIS U. L.J. 499 (2005).
- Missouri (2005)
- Kansas (2014)
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (2008)
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (2009)
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (2013)
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (2013)
- United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (2013)
- Rockhurst University, B.A., Magna Cum Laude, 2000
- Saint Louis University School of Law, J.D., Valedictorian, Summa Cum Laude, 2005
- Law Clerk to Chief Justice William Ray Price, Jr., Supreme Court of Missouri
- Lathrop & Gage LLP
- Gillette Law Office, LLC