Ozarks Profile: Joe Carmichael

Joe Carmichael

President and managing partner, Law Offices of Carmichael, Gardner, Turner & Brown PC, 901 St. Louis, Ste. 800. Formerly Carmichael, Gardner & Clark, the firm is a general practice law firm emphasizing litigation, business and real estate law. Carmichael's practice is focused primarily on assisting clients with business transactions and estate planning. Carmichael is also in his fifth year as chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party and serves as the vice president of the Association of Democratic Chairs. Carmichael is a member of the Greene County Bar Association; the Missouri Bar Association and its tax section and probate section; the American Bar Association and its tax section and economics section; the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountant; and the Southwest Chapter of the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is also the secretary and a board member of Interlex Insurance Co., a legal malpractice insurance carrier.

Age: 52

No. of years in Springfield: Carmichael was born in Springfield and, with the exception of summers spent studying in Paris and at Michigan State University during college, two years of active duty in the U.S. Navy, law school in Arkansas and a year working in Tulsa, Okla., he has lived here.

Education: Carmichael received his bachelor of arts degrees in business and French, with a minor in economics, from Southwest Missouri State University in 1969 and his juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas in 1974.

Early career: Carmichael spent three years as a reservist in the Navy, then went on active duty after college, serving in California, Japan and South Vietnam. When his tour of duty was over in 1971, he entered law school. After graduation in 1974, he went to work for Arthur Young & Co., an international accounting firm in Tulsa, as a staff attorney. A year later, he returned to Springfield and joined the law firm of Comstock, Mee & Carmichael. In 1976, Carmichael became an associate professor at SMSU in the business school, where he taught and developed tax law courses. In 1979, Carmichael joined the law firm of Woolsey, Fisher, Whiteaker, McDonald & Ansley as a partner, where he stayed until 1986, when he joined the law firm of Hall, Ansley, Carmichael & Gardner PC, serving as its president and manager. In 1993, Carmichael formed Carmichael, Gardner & Clark PC, now Carmichael, Gardner, Turner & Brown PC.

Current projects: In addition to politics and his practice, Carmichael is also the co-owner of Credit Missouri Inc., a company started by Carmichael and John Harpole. Credit Missouri is in its second year and buys Missouri low-income housing tax credits from developers and sells them to investors, who then use them as payment for state taxes.

Management philosophy: "Opportunity always overcomes adversity. In every difficult situation, there is opportunity to be cultivated and developed. Recognizing the possibilities and focusing on the opportunity will bring results."

Spare-time pursuits: Carmichael is a member of Immaculate Conception Church and serves as the acting general counsel for Ozarks Public Television. He is also a member of Hickory Hills Country Club.

Family data: Carmichael is married to Marie, a real estate developer. They have two children: Joe, a third-year student at the University of MissouriColumbia School of Medicine, and Katy, a third-year student at the University of MissouriKansas City School of Medicine.