THOMAS D. CARVER

Of Counsel

Thomas Carver brings more than 50 years of Criminal Defense expertise to the firm. He works directly with Managing Partner Joseph S. Passanise. Tom’s portfolio includes representing more than 300 clients in federal cases and thousands of clients in Missouri state courts. He has represented clients facing the most serious charges, including those facing capital murder in federal court. Representing clients in capital cases has imparted a deep understanding of the law when lives are at stake. The wisdom Tom has gained with high-stakes criminal cases has benefited those facing other serious felony charges. The breadth of his experience encompasses capital defense to complex white-collar crimes, large drug conspiracies, and sex crimes, and has given him extensive familiarity with criminal tax matters involving the IRS and state taxing authorities. Carver is admitted to practice in all Missouri courts and has been a United States Supreme Court Bar member since 1993. He is a member of the federal bars for the United States Eastern and Western Districts and the United States Eighth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal. He is admitted to practice in the United States Tax Court. Tom has represented litigants in more than 70 appeals in state and federal appellate courts and received the Robert Duncan Award for Appellate Excellence from the Missouri
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL). Other recognition includes being named to Best Lawyers in America and Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers for more than a decade. He was named Lawyer of the Year, by Best Lawyers, on five occasions for the practice of criminal defense.

In 2019, Tom was awarded the Bernard Edelman Tradition Award for mentoring young lawyers with an interest in criminal defense. He is a past President of the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) and has served on the MACDL Board of Directors since the early 1990s. Tom also serves on the Board of Directors for the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association and its Foundation. One of the greatest assurances clients can have when they entrust their fates to attorneys is a lawyer who has received the highest rating of excellence from Martindale-AVVO. It is the oldest and most respected lawyer rating service in the United States. Tom has received their highest rating of A.V. for many years. In 2025, Missouri Lawyers Media recognized him with its ICON Award, a prestigious distinction that honors an elite group of the state’s most distinguished attorneys and judges for their exemplary careers and longstanding commitment to the Missouri legal community. When asked about his criminal defense philosophy, Carver says that most people seeking representation come bearing a huge weight on their shoulders. He makes it his job to shoulder that burden. Tom takes great pride in accepting a client’s burden as his own and works to lighten that load as much as possible. A Federal Judge once told him that the attorney representing a person is often the only thing standing between the client and the wolf at the door. It is with that spirit and attitude that he strives to serve his clients and has for decades.