Panel Honors Tim Carmody
The Business and Transactional Law Center hosted guest speakers Sarah Carmody, Linda Tabory, Michael Ong and Stacey Janssen on November 1, 2017 at Washburn Law. The speakers presented a memorial lecture in honor of Timothy Carmody, '75, a late friend and local estate-planning lawyer. Presenters spoke to Professor Emily Grant's Decedents' Estates and Trusts class, and talked to Washburn Law students during a Lunch & Learn discussion in the afternoon.
Tim Carmody was admitted to practice in Kansas and Missouri, as well as the United States Courts of Appeal for the Eighth and Tenth Circuits and in the United States Supreme Court. He was a member of the Kansas and Johnson County Bar Associations and the Missouri Bar and a former board member for the Kansas Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law attorneys. He was also a member of the Kansas Bar Association section on Real Property, Probate and Trust Law.
Carmody received a B.A. from Rockhurst University in 1968 and a Juris Doctor degree from Washburn University School of Law in 1975. From 1968 to 1973 he served in the United States Air Force and attained the rank of Captain while serving in Vietnam. In addition to the practice of law, Carmody taught classes in Probate Administration and Estate Planning, Real Estate, Bankruptcy, Estate and Gift Taxation, Business Organizations, Litigation, Negotiable Instruments and UCC, and Philosophy. Carmody also served in the Kansas Legislature from 1991 to 2001 and was a father to six children and grandfather to twelve grandchildren.
Left to right: Sarah Carmody, Linda Tabory, Michael Ong, and Stacey Janssen.
Speaker Sarah Carmody of Carmody Law Firm in Olathe, Kansas was the daughter-in-law of Tim Carmody. Her law practice today consists mostly of domestic work; however, she spoke fondly of the guidance her father-in-law provided her in the area of estate planning. She explained that Carmody's true passion was helping others and that he was always extremely generous with his time.
Speaker Linda Tabory of the Tabory Law Firm in Overland Park, Kansas was a long-time friend of Tim Carmody. She did public policy work in Washington D.C. for fifteen years after law school and eventually moved to Kansas City where she began to practice privately. Tabory explained that Carmody mentored her early on in her practice of estate planning and she stressed the importance of asking for help from experienced colleagues in the practice of law.
Speaker Michael Ong of Ong Law Firm in Overland Park, Kansas first began practicing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After moving back home to Kansas City, he met Carmody through the close group of estate planning lawyers in the area. Speaking on his almost twenty-three years of experience in the law, Ong emphasized to students the significance of networking and the idea that a law degree is a ticket to the world.
Speaker Stacey Janssen of Dysart Taylor Law Firm in Kansas City, Missouri was also a close friend of Carmody and described him as an expert in his field. Janssen worked for Kansas Legal Services (KLS) out of law school, specifically on the Senior Citizen Law Project. She eventually left KLS after ten years of employment and began to build a private practice focused largely on elder law, which lead her to meeting Carmody. Janssen emphasized to students the significance of creating a "brand" for yourself as a lawyer to help build a successful law career.
Washburn Law thanks all the guest speakers for taking time from their busy schedules to speak with students about Tim Carmody's life and for sharing advice and stories from real world legal practice.