Overview

Gerard T. Carmody has been litigating cases for more than 40 years, trying more than 100 cases to conclusion in state and federal courts. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Carmody concentrates his practice in commercial, real estate and employment litigation. He has acted as lead trial counsel for a variety of clients, including the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., Cortex, Saint Louis University, Washington University, and Target Corporation.

For over 20 years, Mr. Carmody has been recognized on The Best Lawyers in America® list. He was recognized in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Bet-The-Company Litigation, Labor & Employment Litigation and Real Estate Litigation. In 2001, 2005 and 2007, he was honored by Missouri Lawyers Weekly as a “Lawyer of the Year.” For several years, he was selected by Missouri Lawyers Weekly as one of Missouri’s top three litigators. In 2008, Mr. Carmody was awarded the distinction of “Best Litigator” and the “Best Appellate Win” by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. He is regularly selected to the list in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers® and has been featured in St. Louis Magazine as one of the “Best Lawyers in St. Louis.” Mr. Carmody received the Missouri Lawyer Weekly’s Legal Champions Award in 2017 along with his daughter, Ryann Carmody, for their successful defense of a Catholic priest facing accusations of child sexual abuse. In 2023, he was inducted into the SLU LAW Order of the Fleur de Lis Hall of Fame. The Order of the Fleur de Lis is the highest honor from Saint Louis University School of Law and recognizes individuals who work in pursuit of truth, justice, and service to humanity in their everyday lives and throughout their careers.

Mr. Carmody was appointed by the Supreme Court of Missouri to serve on the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness for the state’s judicial system. In 2017, he was a founding member of the Missouri Coalition for the Right to Counsel and received the 2017 Director’s Award for championing indigent defense in Missouri. Earlier in his career, he was elected by his peers to serve a six-year term on the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission, which is responsible for nominating judges to Missouri’s Appellate and Supreme Courts. The St. Louis Daily Record published a story detailing the growth of diversity in the courts while Mr. Carmody was on the Commission. He also served a term from 2011 to 2016 as a Trustee of The Missouri Bar.

Mr. Carmody’s professional legal background is both broad and deep, and he is considered one of the most experienced litigators in the region. He has achieved successful jury verdicts for Fortune 500 companies as well as privately-held entities and government agencies. He also has represented major law firms in professional liability claims. He has obtained several multi-million dollar jury verdicts in real estate and commercial litigation matters. Among his successes was a $75 million jury verdict in the Eastern District of Missouri for a medical device company.

Mr. Carmody is a former assistant circuit attorney for the City of St. Louis where he was lead prosecutor in over thirty felony jury trials. In 2018, Mr. Carmody was appointed as the Special Prosecutor related to an investigation of possible perjury charges involved in the prosecution of former Governor Eric Greitens.

Representative Matters

  • Acted as lead counsel for the City’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority in acquiring land for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
  • Acted as lead counsel for the Archdiocese of St. Louis in successfully defending a Catholic priest for false accusations of child sexual abuse.
  • Acted as lead counsel for Biomedical Systems Corporation in obtaining a then-record $75 million jury verdict in a breach of contract trial in federal court.
  • Acted as lead counsel for Westfield Corporation and other plaintiffs in successfully overturning redevelopment ordinances for a highly public and controversial project in Sunset Hills.
  • Acted as lead counsel for developers in multiple redevelopment projects for Wal-Mart, the City of Maplewood, Saint Louis University and Washington University Medical Centers.
  • Obtained defense verdict in retrial of right of publicity case brought by former Blues hockey player, Tony Twist.
  • Obtained summary judgments or jury verdicts for many clients in employment discrimination cases filed in federal and state courts in St. Louis.
Education

Saint Louis University School of Law, J.D., 1975

Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama, B.A., 1971

Community Involvement
  • American Bar Association
  • Missouri Bar Association, Trustee (2011-2016)
  • Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
  • Missouri Eminent Domain Task Force Member (2005)
  • Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission Member (1999-2005)
  • Missouri Judicial College, Lecturer
  • Washington University School of Law, Adjunct Professor for Trial Practice Courses (1986-2013)
  • Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness, Supreme Court of Missouri (2015-2018)
  • McBride and Son Homes Advisory Board (2013-present)
  • Missouri Coalition for the Right to Counsel, Founding Member (2017-present)
  • Chaminade College Preparatory School Board of Trustees (2018-present)
Awards
  • SLU LAW Order of the Fleur de Lis Hall of Fame Inductee (2023)
  • Best Lawyers® – The Best Lawyers in America (2000-present)
    • Bet-the-Company Litigation
    • Commercial Litigation
    • Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
    • Litigation – Banking and Finance
    • Litigation – Labor & Employment
    • Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
    • Litigation – Real Estate
  • Super Lawyers®
    • Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (2005-present)
    • Top 50 St. Louis Super Lawyers (2006-present)
    • Top 100 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (2006-present)
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law (2012, 2019, 2024)
  • Director’s Award, Missouri Coalition for the Right to Counsel (2017)
  • AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale Hubbell
  • Missouri Lawyers Weekly
    • ICON Award (2021)
    • Legal Champions Award (2017)
    • Best Litigator (2008, 2009)
    • Best Appellate Win (2008)
    • Best Litigator Finalist (2009)
    • Lawyer of the Year (2001, 2005, 2007)
  • St. Louis Business Journal – Most Influential St. Louisans (2011)