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Discover 30 of the best lawyers, as chosen by their peers. Among these, we profile 10 of the Top Attorneys with the most honors, and learn that they’re not all business.
By The Editors
(page 1 of 6)
How did we choose the top attorneys in southwest Missouri? We didn’t. They did. Attorneys all across the United States vote on their peers.These lists are excerpted from The Best Lawyers in America® 2007, which includes listings for more than 29,000 lawyers in virtually every major specialty of law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Best Lawyers in America® is published by Woodward/White Inc., of Aiken, South Carolina and can be ordered directly from the publisher. For information call 803-648-0300; write 129 First Avenue, SW, Aiken, SC 29803; e-mail info@bestlawyers.com or visit bestlawyers.com. Woodward/White Inc. has used its best efforts in assembling material for this list but does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause. Copyright 2006 by Woodward/White Inc., Aiken, SC. All rights reserved. This list, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without permission of Woodward/White Inc. No fees may be charged, directly or indirectly, for the use of the information in this list without permission.
Tom Carver
Honored in White-Collar Criminal Defense, Non-White-Collar Criminal DefenseThomas D. Carver
2103 E. Sunshine St., Springfield, 417-886-3330
Law School: University of Missouri–Kansas City
Experience: 33 years
Interviewed by Jacob Harper
Q. What’s the most difficult or interesting case you’ve had to work on?
A. Recently I got a dismissal on a capital murder charge.
Q. Who was it?
A. His name was Israel. The actual dismissal happened last spring. The case, there’s actually a lot of remaining defendants. He was one of the remaining defendants and his trial was going to start June 24. It was a death penalty case. He was designated to be charged by the Attorney General of the United States. We were able to petition for a removal of the death penalty certification, and we were successful at that. And then the entire murder charge against him was dismissed. […] I also did the appellate work for Leslie Brown. She was charged with not reporting child abuse in the Dominic James case. […] She was an emergency room nurse at Cox. The state contended that she should have reported the abuse to the Child Abuse Hotline. A young man had come in with injuries. Ultimately, the state dismissed that case. [Dee] Wampler represented her in the trial, and I represented her in the Missouri Supreme Court.
Q. Did you always want to be a defense attorney?
A. No, not actually. I just started doing some work, and I enjoyed it. I always had an interest in the Constitution. And there’s lots of Constitutional questions that come up during cases. So it sparked my interest in that area. And it’s all I do now.
Q. So is your speciality Constitutional law or is it just something you enjoy?
A. No, my speciality would probably be federal law. Criminal defense is probably what I do the most of.
Q. And how long have you been practicing law?
A. Thirty-three years.
Q. Alright, here’s a goofy little question my editor threw in here. What’s your favorite Latin legal term?
A. Probably raso ipso loqitum.
Q. Could you translate that?
A. The thing speaks for itself.
