Crawford was born and raised in Middle Georgia but has lived in Florida for more than 20 years. Crawford is a resident of Jacksonville, where he and his wife are raising their two children and a household of four-legged children their family adopted. Crawford’s family loves being outdoors, spending most of their time near or on the water.

Crawford recognized his passion for criminal defense at an early age, and he has been preparing himself for the practice of law since his first year of undergraduate studies. Crawford obtained his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and throughout his tenure as an undergrad, Crawford worked at a criminal defense firm and competed in various national mock trial competitions. Crawford was elected President of the Criminal Justice Honors Society, and at graduation, Crawford was named Outstanding Student in Criminal Justice, Anthropology, and Sociology, the department’s highest honor.

Crawford later obtained a master’s degree in criminology from Florida State University, where he graduated with honors. During graduate studies, Crawford continued to work within the legal community, as a clerk at the Leon County Courthouse, as well as for the Justice Administrative Commission in Tallahassee, Florida. Crawford attended Florida Coastal School of Law where he was a member of both the Criminal Law and Animal Law Societies. During law school, Crawford was a Certified Legal Intern for multiple public defender’s offices, as well as a local law firm. Crawford received several honors during law school, including a class book award and an Advanced Legal Writing Certificate at graduation.

Crawford has been practicing law for more than 15 years in the Northeast Florida region. Crawford worked for 6 years as a public defender, where he handled more than 3,000 cases ranging from juvenile and misdemeanor offenses to capital crimes and violent sexual offenses. Crawford has had numerous jury and bench trials, and in 2011, he was named Best Advocate at Florida Defender College’s annual trial competition for outstanding performance in jury selection, opening statement, direct and cross-examination, and closing argument.

Crawford ran his own law practice, The Law Office of C. Crawford Pierce, IV, P.A., from 2017 to 2024, where he continued to zealously defend his clients. In 2020, Crawford was overwhelmingly voted St. Augustine’s Best Criminal Defense Attorney by subscribers to Jacksonville’s very popular Folio Magazine. In 2024, Crawford closed his law practice to join Bernhardt Riley to provide even more resources and a stronger defense to his existing clientele, as well as to provide a greater reach to those he hasn’t yet had the pleasure to serve.