Carner & Rosemon

About Us

Graham Carner

Co-founder of Carner & Rosemon, PLLC

Graham grew up in Brookhaven, Mississippi, graduating from Brookhaven High School in 1997. After earning a degree in English and History from Mississippi College in 2001, Graham attended law school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While in law school, Graham served as a Notes & Comments Editor for the Law Review and was on the Moot Court Board. He also published a case note in the Wake Forest Law Review, Kelly v. South Carolina: The Symbolic and Substantive Implications of the Supreme Court’s Latest Word on Parole Ineligibility in Capital Cases, 38 Wake Forest L. Rev. 1327 (2003). After earning his law degree from Wake Forest in 2004, Graham returned to Mississippi to begin his legal career. 

Graham has extensive experience litigating civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts. He is licensed to practice before all Mississippi state and federal courts, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Graham is a Public Defender for the City of Clinton and previously did public defense work for the City of Byram and Lincoln County. He handles federal habeas corpus death penalty, trial, and appellate cases as an appointee under the Criminal Justice Act. He also represents a variety of professionals, such as attorneys, nurses, and doctors, in licensure and disciplinary matters.  

Graham is a longtime member and officer in the Mississippi Association for Justice (MAJ). He is a past President of MAJ and currently serves on its Board of Governors. He is also an active member of the Mississippi Bar, Capital Area Bar Association (CABA), Mississippi Public Defenders Association, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Graham is currently serving as Secretary/Treasurer of CABA. He recently began serving on the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules. 

Graham and his wife, Mary Etta, have three children, and are active members of Northside Baptist Church in Clinton. 

Bar Admission

  • Mississippi, 2004
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Mississippi, 2004
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Mississippi, 2004
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2004
  • United States Supreme Court, 2015

Awards & Community / Professional Involvement

Mississippi Association for Justice—Past President, Board of Governors

Capital Area Bar Association—Secretary/Treasurer (2024-25), Past Member, Board of Directors

Jackson Young LawyersaJackson Young Lawyers—Past Member, Board of Directors

Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar—Past Member, Board of Directors

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers

American Association for Justice

Member, Mississippi Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules (2025-present)

Mississippi Bar Leadership Forum, 2013

Jackson Young Lawyers Pro Bono Award (2008-2009)

Presentations

“Solo/Small Firm Roundtable,” Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project Continuing Education, Jackson, MS, May 23, 2014
“Where’s the Fact Pattern?: What Law School Didn’t Teach You About Building a Case,” The Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division Continuing Legal Education, October 14, 2014.
“10 Simple Rules for Cultivating Good Relationships With Judges,” The Mississippi Bar Continuing Legal Education, Jackson, MS, September 2015
“Mississippi’s Expungement Laws,” Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project “Know Your Rights” Forum , Jackson, MS, October 4, 2019.
“Mississippi’s Expungement Laws,” Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project Continuing Legal Education, Jackson, MS, October 4, 2019.
“Changes in Mississippi’s Expungement Laws,” Mississippi Association for Justice Annual Convention (Virtual), June 2, 2020.
“Same Pathway, Different Lane,” Moderator, 28th Annual Evelyn Gandy Lecture Series, February 18, 2021
“Bar Complaint Blues: Charting a Course Through Troubled Waters,” Mississippi Association for Justice Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, June 2024.
“Criminal Defense in a Post-Loper Bright World,” The Mississippi Bar Continuing Legal Education, Jackson, MS, September 10, 2024.

Publications

Kelly v. South Carolina: The Symbolic and Substantive Implications of the Supreme Court’s Latest Word on Parole Ineligibility in Capital Cases, 38 Wake Forest L. Rev. 1327 (2003)
Co-contributor, Defense Research Institute Daubert Online newsletter
“Setting the Record Straight: An Overview of Mississippi’s Expungement Laws,” Voir Dire, Mississippi Association for Justice, 2016.
“The First 48: Timing of Initial Appearance and Bond Determination in Mississippi’s Lower Courts,” Voir Dire, Mississippi Association for Justice, 2018.
“Setting the Record Straight: An Overview of Mississippi’s Expungement Laws (Updated),” Voir Dire, Mississippi Association for Justice, 2020.
“Suspect Trips and Anonymous Tips: Examining Reasonable Suspicion in Two Contexts,” The Mississippi Lawyer, The Mississippi Bar Association, 2022.