About Michael Carney
Attorney and Owner, Idaho LEAP
Michael Carney is a family law attorney and advocate in Boise. Prior to starting Idaho LEAP, he was a professor at the University of Idaho College of Law - Boise, where he created and directed the Family Justice Clinic, overseeing third year law students in providing trauma-informed legal services to survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence, child abuse and neglect, and elder abuse.
Additionally, Michael practiced for 7 years at Mid-Missouri Legal Services in Columbia, Missouri, where he oversaw the housing law program, which primarily worked to secure safe, secure and habitable housing for low-income renters and homeowners. In conjunction with the University of Missouri School of Law, he established their first Housing Law Practicum, where he trained and supervised law students in representation of renters facing eviction, tenants experiencing discrimination and other related issues. He further advocated for his family law clients in divorce, custody, protection orders and other related disputes throughout the central Missouri area.
While a freshman at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michael first had his eyes opened to the realities of domestic and sexual violence in our society. While attending an orientation session aimed at making new students aware of the dangers and realities of sexual violence on campus, he first dedicated himself to advocated for those that have suffered abuse by someone that is supposed to love them, not hurt them. The following year he joined Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates, a student organization at Central Michigan University that operates a 24/7 crisis lines for students impacted by sexual violence and provides trainings and otherwise seeks to raise awareness.
That was nearly twenty years ago.
While a law student at the University of Missouri School of Law, Michael participated in the Family Violence Clinic, where he began representing survivors of domestic violence in obtaining civil protection orders against their abusers. He continued his advocacy as a limited-licensed attorney at at Mid-Missouri Legal Services, before ultimately joining the legal aid office as a full time attorney after graduating law school and passing the bar exam, in September 2010. Michael joined the University of Idaho College of Law in November 2017, becoming the first director of the Family Justice Clinic, before starting Idaho LEAP in late 2021.
Throughout his career, Michael has represented hundreds of individuals in family law matters. Many of these clients have unfortunately suffered domestic and/or sexual violence at the hands of an abuser. As a result of this experience and knowledge, Michael sought out to start a law firm that is trauma-informed and client-focused. Idaho Legal Empowerment and Advocacy Program is the result of this vision.