Awards and Honors

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—The Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) has awarded Joseph S. Passanise, Managing Partner of Wampler & Passanise, its prestigious Bernie Edelman Tradition Award in ceremonies during the association’s annual conference in St. Louis at the end of March. The award is presented to a criminal defense attorney who unselfishly and generously takes the time to mentor young attorneys.

“I was honored to nominate Joe for the Edelman Award,” said Thomas Carver, a former Edelman Award recipient. “Criminal defense lawyers rely on tradition and principle more than one might think. If there is a common denominator among us, it is our devotion to the Constitution and desire to protect the rights of our clients. Joe honed his skills working with the late Dee Wampler, eventually establishing Wampler & Passanise in the late 1990s. Joe has served as a Past President of MACDL and is known for his desire to help young lawyers. We can all stand to be more like Joe and recognize that we have a special obligation to help our young colleagues who stand in the arena.

Being recognized by your peers with an award named after a giant like Bernie Edelman is a profound honor,” Passanise said. “He was a legend in the St. Louis area and state who worked tirelessly to help educate and train lawyers—the consummate lawyer’s lawyer. This award reflects the high standards we strive for every day at our firm. It reinforces our mission to provide vigorous, ethical representation for our clients and to uphold the Constitutional rights that protect every citizen.

Throughout his career, Passanise has become a leading voice in Missouri’s legal landscape, particularly in complex criminal defense and business litigation. This latest accolade follows a consistent track record of professional excellence and leadership with both state and national legal organizations.

Under Passanise’s leadership, Wampler & Passanise continues to build on its storied legacy of trial advocacy in Springfield and across the Midwest. The firm remains dedicated to the principles of justice and mentorship represented by the Bernie Edelman Award.

About Wampler & Passanise

Wampler & Passanise is one of the Midwest’s leading criminal defense firms. It is led by Managing Partner Joseph S. Passanise and Attorneys Thomas Carver and James Hayes.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—Springfield criminal defense attorneys Joseph S. Passanise and Thomas D. Carver of Wampler & Passanise have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, 2026 Ed. Based entirely on peer review, this is the 32nd year Best Lawyers has published its prestigious list of top American attorneys.

Passanise, the firm’s Managing Partner, was named Lawyer of the Year for Criminal Defense: White Collar in Springfield. He was also recognized for professional excellence in Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, and DUI/DWI Defense.Best Lawyershas recognized him for 18 years. He has been selected by his peers as the Lawyer of the Year six times over his career. In 2013, he was chosen as a fellow by the American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL) and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). Passanise is a State Delegate to the National College of DUI Defense (NCDD), and Martindale-AVVO awards him its highest rating, AV. He is a past President of the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL), and was awarded the distinguished Charles M. Shaw Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy in 2013. Passanise was recognized in 2024 by Missouri State University with the prestigious Bear of Distinction Alumni Award and in 2025 by the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities with the Dean’s Alumni Award.

Carver, Of Counsel, was recognized for professional excellence in Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White Collar. He has been recognized byBest Lawyersfor 19 years, including being named Lawyer of the Year on five occasions. In 2025, Carver was recognized with an ICON Award by Missouri Lawyers Media, celebrating Distinguished Leadership in Law. He was awarded the Bernard Edelman Tradition Award for mentoring young lawyers interested in criminal defense in 2019. Carver is a past President of the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) and serves on the Board of Directors for the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association and its Foundation. Martindale-AVVO awards him its highest rating, AV.

About Wampler & Passanise

Wampler & Passanise is one of the Midwest’s leading criminal defense firms. It is led by Managing Partner Joseph S. Passanise, and Attorneys Thomas Carver and James Hayes, all of whom have been recognized by Martindale-AVVO with its highest rating of AV for many years.

Missouri Lawyers Media publishes Missouri Lawyers Weekly, the only independent publication dedicated to legal coverage in the state. The group also recognizes legal professionals with a variety of awards programs. Joseph Passanise was recognized for Law Firm Leadership in 2023, along with Sandy Ellis, Receptionist and one of the firm’s longest-term employees, who was honored as an unsung Hero the same year.

For more than three decades, Best Lawyers lists have earned the respect of the profession, the media, and the public, as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere. Their lists of outstanding attorneys are compiled by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. Lawyers are not allowed to pay to participate in or be included on any of their lists.

Super Lawyers Magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the state or region and the ABA-accredited law school libraries. Super Lawyers is also published as a special section in leading city and regional magazines across the country.

The National Trial Lawyers promotes and endorses legal educational programs, including its annual Trial Lawyers Submit. Their goal is to enable members to draw upon the association’s strong training, educational and networking resources so they may have benefits that were either unavailable or difficult to find on their own.

The Avvo Rating is how Avvo evaluates a lawyer’s performance based on the information they know about the lawyer and reviews provided by clients. The rating is calculated using a mathematical model that considers the information shown in a lawyer’s profile, including a lawyer’s years in practice, disciplinary history, professional achievements, and industry recognition – all factors that, in their opinion, are relevant to assessing a lawyer’s qualifications.

They periodically collect background data from multiple sources, including state bar associations, court records, lawyer websites, and information that lawyers choose to provide to Avvo. There is no favoritism in choosing Avvo ratings; lawyers cannot pay to change their rankings.