David Carney's career as an attorney was almost a fait accompli given his upbringing and the people he was close to as a young boy.
"Some of my childhood friends’ dads were attorneys and another was a judge," says David. The lawyers and the judge often talked about their work and I was interested in their stories. I also met Judge Sebe Dale of Columbia, MS when he spoke to a group of kids. These encounters put me on the path to becoming a lawyer, there's no doubt."
While pursuing a business degree at the University of Southern Mississippi, David met with an advisor to discuss potential legal careers. "Law School was really the only option that kept coming up," he recalls. After more research on how to get into law school, I transferred to Ole Miss to finish my undergraduate degree in Business and applied for law school at Ole Miss when I eventually received my J.D."
When asked how he first crossed paths with Lee Gladden, David recalls, "I was introduced to Lee by Blayne Ingram on my first day of law practice at the firm of Scott, Sullivan, Streetman & Fox in Ridgeland, where we all worked at the time. I met Lee while there and got to know him better through all of our firm’s social events.
I honestly believe that the Lord led me to join Gladden & Ingram," continues David. "After leaving Scott, Sullivan, Streetman & Fox at the end of 2007, I spent ten years at another defense firm handling workers’ compensation claims. Shortly after leaving that firm, I just happened to call Lee at the right moment. He was getting more cases and needed help with his workload--and I came aboard." David's specialities/main areas of practice at Gladden & Ingram include Workers’ Compensation, Personal Injury and Commercial Motor Vehicle accident litigation.
The proudest moment of his career thus far was easy for David to name.
"The proudest I have been was when Lee and Whitney took Bridget Harris, me and our spouses to a Christmas dinner and told us how special and important we were to them and that we were valuable partners with them at Gladden & Ingram," he says.
David grew up in Hattiesburg, MS and went to Oak Grove High School. "I'm married to Emily Susan Edge of Vaughan, MS and we have three children Sarah, who is 15, Nathan, 13, and Anna, 11. Emily is an Assistant Instructor at Madison Methodist Church’s day school and is the President of the Germantown High School Band Boosters," says David of his personal life. "We attend Madison Heights Church where I volunteer with the special needs Sunday School and as a Deacon and my wife and I both work with several local charities as often as we can."
Regarding down moments spent away from the office, David says, "My spare time is filled with volleyball, band or color guard with my children. I also like to fish, hunt and make really good BBQ--or so I believe! I read when I can, and the last book I completed was J.R. Tolkien’s "The Lord of the Rings" with my son."
In summary, David makes this observation about his current career as an attorney and where he works: "Gladden & Ingram is a special place because we focus on living first, as unusual or unorthodox as that may sound these days," he says. "At this firm, our families are our priority. We support each other and encourage taking care of family. Because of this, we communicate with each other more frequently than at places where work and billable hours is always the constant number one priority. Each matter we handle gets group collaboration, attention and feedback. The thoughts of each attorney help direct the best course of action in any given case
