About Clay S.
Clay S. Conrad began his legal journey after earning a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993. He entered the practice of criminal law in the mid-1990s and built a career that spans trial work, appellate practice and professional leadership in criminal-defense organizations. His education at a major state law school set the stage for steady involvement in Texas criminal courts and federal appellate work.
Conrad’s early years in practice saw him join Paul C. Looney & Associates as an associate in 1997. He moved into a shareholder role at Lamson & Looney in 1999 and became a shareholder at Looney & Conrad in 2005. Those moves track a transition from junior litigation roles into firm leadership. Along the way he maintained active ties to professional groups that concentrate on criminal defense issues.
He has been a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since 1996 and joined the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association in 1997. Those memberships run alongside deeper involvement in the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, where he served as Associate Director from 2006 to 2008 and then as a Director beginning in 2008. From 2002 to 2005 he chaired the American Jury Institute, a period in which he engaged in work related to jury research and trial advocacy training.
Conrad’s practice covers trial and appellate matters in Texas and the Fifth Circuit. He handles state criminal cases at trial and takes appeals into federal court where relevant. His record of roles at several firms reflects a steady emphasis on criminal defense practice and on mentoring younger lawyers through bar and association activities. He is comfortable in courtroom proceedings and appellate briefing, and his professional timeline shows movement from associate to shareholder while maintaining active association leadership.
Today he is listed as a shareholder at Looney & Conrad, P.C. His office work centers on criminal-defense litigation and appeals originating in Texas and proceeding to the Fifth Circuit when cases raise federal questions or habeas issues. He also remains involved in the organizations that have shaped his public work in criminal law, carrying forward the administrative and educational roles he has occupied.
Conrad maintains a practice that concentrates on criminal defense in Texas and appellate work before the Fifth Circuit.
