law office of Willis b. carman - about us

The Carman family established its roots on Long Island in 1643. John Carman and the Reverend Robert Fordham came to Long Island from a small settlement in Connecticut to negotiate Long Island's first real estate transaction between the settlers and the Indians. Carman and Fordham returned to Stamford with a compact signed by the Indians granting them sixty-five thousand acres of Nassau County including half of the huge meadow known as Hempstead Plains. Eleven generations later, in 1928, the law firm that is now Carman, Callahan & Ingham LLP was founded by the late, Honorable Willis B. Carman, Sr.. The law firm has always maintained a general practice.

Judge Willis B. Carman, Sr., the "Judge", was born in Amityville on March 6, 1901. His father and his father's branch of the Carman family had lived in Amityville continuously since 1776. The Judge was in the first graduating class of Farmingdale High School - the class of 1917. He married Marjorie Sosa in 1927 and they had three children, Marcia Joan, Willis, Jr. and Gregory.

Prior to attending law school at Fordham University, the Judge worked at the Title Guarantee & Trust Company in Manhattan. It was there, at the title company, that he first acquired his substantial knowledge of real estate.

He began his practice of law in the Village of Farmingdale in 1928. He rented an office in Mr. Watkins' building at 280 Main Street, which he later purchased and called the Carman Building. In 1964, he and Marjorie renovated the building and installed Farmingdale's very first elevator. The firm still retains offices in the Carman Building and the Judge maintained his active law practice there until his death in 1985.

The Judge served his community in many ways. He first ran for Municipal Judge of Farmingdale Village in 1929. Marjorie worked tirelessly on Willis's campaign. Ironically, she was too young at the time to cast a vote for her husband. Willis won the election and served as Village Judge for 30 years.

By virtue of his expertise in real estate, he was able to organize other leaders in the Farmingdale community in founding the Sunrise Federal Savings and Loan Association where he served on the Board of Directors and as the Bank's legal counsel for 50 years. This affiliation played a central role in the growing real estate practice of the firm.

Willis (Bill) Carman Jr., graduated from Fordham Law School in 1957 and served in the Nassau County District Attorney's office. Bill joined the firm when the Judge was appointed District Court Judge in 1960. Bill served on the Farmingdale Village Board for 30 years with the last eight as Mayor of Farmingdale.

Willis B. Carman

(516) 224-3514 bill@carmanlawteam.com Bill graduated from New York University in 1983. He earned his law degree from Fordham School of Law in 1989. After law school, Bill became a Deputy County Attorney in the Litigation Bureau of the Nassau County Attorney's office. There he obtained extensive courtroom experience defending the County in personal injury and civil rights claims. From there, he became an associate at a prominent Long Island personal injury firm where he handled a multitude of liability, medical malpractice and product liability cases. In 2004, Bill joined CC&I. He concentrates in Elder law, Trust & Estates, Estate Planning, Guardianships, Real Estate, commercial and residential leasing and landlord/tenant. Bill is counsel to a local municipality and several not for profit corporations. Bill is admitted to practice in New York, Florida, EDNY, SDNY, 2nd Circuit and the Court of International Trade. He is a member of the Bar Associations of Nassau County, Suffolk County and New York State, as well as the Farmingdale Rotary Club. <<back

Willis B. Carman, Jr.

(516) 224-3514 willis@carmanlawteam.com Willis B. Carman, Jr. earned his law degree at Fordham's University School of Law. He is admitted to the New York State Bar. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association. Bill's practice concentrates in the areas of Elder Law, Trusts and Estate, Real Estate and Business Transactions. Bill is also General Counsel for the South Farmingdale Water District.