ABOUT CHARLES CARPENTER Attorney Charles Carpenter is the principal of Charles E. Carpenter, A Professional Corporation. He has been in the private practice of law for his entire career, spanning over thirty years. A native Memphian, he is a proud graduate of Southside High School, Class of 1970. After graduating from Southside High School, Charles continued his education at Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating from Howard with a degree in Political Science and Economics in 1974. He obtained his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School in South Bend, Indiana in 1977.

With his law degree in hand, Charles Carpenter turned down opportunities elsewhere to return to Memphis, his birthplace and home of his parents, a City near and dear to his heart. After being unable to find employment, he was forced to start from scratch, by hanging up his shingle and opening has own office for the practice of law. Since founding his practice in 1978, Charles Carpenter has gained extensive experience in corporate, business and finance matters, serving as general counsel for several public and private corporations and partnerships. He has also grown a substantial regional practice in the municipal finance area, having served on the legal financing teams in various capacities for the City of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Light, Gas & Water Division, the County of Shelby, Tennessee, the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, The Memphis-Shelby County Sports Authority and other regional issuers.

As a long time member of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood, pastored by Rev. Dr. James L. Netters, Sr., Charles Carpenter has been active member participating in numerous church activities and functions. Charles Carpenter is the proud parent of two adult sons, Charles, II and Corbin. Charles Carpenter has a vision for Memphis which is guided by his commitment and firm roots in the City. Using his business expertise, network of national contacts and strong community ties, Charles Carpenter plans to ensure that Memphis continues to grow and develop into the international City he knows it can be, and that its citizens will again be proud to call Memphis “home” and a place where we can “rise up together”.

NOTABLE PERSONAL AND BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
• 1ST Member of his Family to earn a college degree.
• 1ST Member of his Family to earn a law degree.
• From his 1st law office located at the corner of 5th and Chelsea Avenue in North Memphis, Charles Carpenter has built his firm to be one of the top 100 law firms in the Nation in the area of municipal finance, as counsel to Underwriters, for 2 of the past 5 years.
• 1ST African American law firm in the history of the State of Tennessee to become nationally qualified to issue legal opinions for municipal finance transactions.
• In one generation, Charles Carpenter has ascended against all odds from his father, an independent dump truck driver, hauling dirt and gravel to runways at the Memphis International Airport, to becoming a member of the financing team and issuing legal opinions approving hundreds of millions of dollars to construct, repair and extend runways and taxiways on the same airfield.

Current Volunteer Boardships:
• Riverfront Development Corporation
• Lane College Board of Trustees, Jackson, TN

Past Volunteer Affiliations and Boardships:
• The Salvation Army
• Memphis Chamber of Commerce
• Memphis in May, Inc.
• Abe Scharf YMCA
• 100 Black Men of Memphis, Inc.
• Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee
• Meritan, Inc. (formerly Senior Services)

Professional Memberships:
• American Bar Association
• National Association of Bond Lawyers
• National Bar Association
• National Bar Association (Ben F. Jones Chapter)
• Memphis Bar Association
• Memphis Bar Foundation
• Memphis Journal Club
• Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
• Life Member- NAACP

Awards
• Memphis Bar Association- The Sam A. Myar, Jr. Memorial Award
• National Bar Association (Ben F. Jones Chapter) – A.A. Latting Community Service Award
• NAACP Distinguished Service Award
• National Bar Association (Ben F. Jones Chapter) President’s Award
• Moolah Shrine Temple #54 A.E.A.O.N.M.A. Inc. (PHA) Citizen of the Year Award
• Mt. Vernon Baptist Church- Westwood -The Isaac McAlister Distinguished Service Award

Religious Membership:
• Member, Mt. Vernon Baptist Church- Westwood, Rev. Dr. James L. Netters, Sr.-Pastor; Rev. Melvin D. Watkins, Jr., Co-Pastor