Adams and Reese and National Appleseed Senior Pro Bono Fellow Richard Carmody received a National Appleseed Honors Award at Appleseed’s annual board meeting held at the firm's New Orleans office Nov. 30th.
The award honors Adams and Reese for its commitment to pro bono service, its ongoing support of Appleseed, and its work to help people build better lives. Carmody, who serves as Of Counsel in the firm’s Birmingham office, was named the inaugural Adams and Reese Senior Pro Bono Fellow in 2016. In 2017, he continues his pro bono work with Appleseed and its 17 public justice interest centers in the U.S. and Mexico, all working to break down barriers to equal opportunity.
Through attorneys volunteering with Appleseed and the work of the public justice interest centers, Appleseed unites research, organizes policy advocacy, and impacts litigation to build systemic solutions for our communities’ most pressing problems. Appleseed's justice centers are staffed by highly skilled professionals— lawyers, policy analysts, community organizers — who know how to use political leverage, mobilize coalitions, and fight for solutions that build resilient communities.
At Adams and Reese, Carmody has a nationwide reputation for solid counsel in the field of insolvency law (C&I) and secured lending, and s one of the firm’s principal bankruptcy attorneys, representing clients in difficult financial matters. He also provides counsel to lenders for complex commercial transactions and internal policies. In 1992, Carmody became the first lawyer in Alabama to become certified as a specialist in Business Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification.
Carmody was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy in 1999. He has served as a director of the College Foundation and as a member of the Foundation’s pro bono committee. He currently co-chairs the Senior Committee. He is a frequent writer and lecturer on bankruptcy and commercial law topics. In 2017, the Alabama State Bar presented Carmody with the Albert L. Vreeland Pro Bono Award.