Kathleen Zellner is an American attorney who has worked extensively in wrongful conviction advocacy. Notable clients Zellner has represented include Steven Avery (who was the subject of the 2015 and 2018

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

Making a Murderer ''Making a Murderer'' is an American true crime documentary television series written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos. The show tells the story of Steven Avery, a man from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who served 18 years in priso ...

''), Kevin Fox (who was falsely accused of murdering his daughter), Ryan W. Ferguson,

Larry Eyler Larry William Eyler (December 21, 1952 – March 6, 1994), also called the Interstate Killer and the Highway Killer, was an American serial killer who murdered a minimum of twenty-one teenage boys and young men in the Midwestern United States, M ...

, and 19 exonerees who are listed in the

National Registry of Exonerations The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the University of Michigan Law School, Michigan State University College of Law and the University of California Irvine Newkirk Center for Science and Society. The Registry was co-founded in 2012 ...

Early life and education

Kathleen Zellner was born in

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...

, on May 7, 1949, the second of seven children. Her father Owen Thomas was a geologist, and her mother Winifred was a chemist who became a nurse.Chris Harvey (November 18, 2018)
"'If you're rich, you can get away with murder' - Making a Murderer lawyer Kathleen Zellner,"
''Independent''. When she was nine years old, she and her family moved to

Bartlesville, Oklahoma Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County and Osage County, Oklahoma. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. Bartlesville is north of Tulsa and south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The Cane ...

. She attended

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

in Wisconsin, and then the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

, before graduating with a B.A. from

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada."Kathleen T. Zellner,"
Martindale.Tracy Swartz (October 18, 2018)

''Chicago Tribune''. She received her

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1981, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the ''Law Review'', and clerked for 2nd District Illinois Appellate Court justice George W. Lindberg.

Career

She opened her firm, Kathleen T. Zellner & Associates in Downers Grove,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, in 1991. Her firm handles wrongful conviction cases,

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

violations,

medical malpractice Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The negligen ...

, and

prisoner abuse Prisoner abuse is the mistreatment of persons while they are under arrest or incarcerated. Prisoner abuse can include physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, torture, or other acts such as refusal of essential medication, and it can ...

cases. Zellner had achieved 19 exonerations as of October 2018, and now 20 exonerations for clients. Notable clients Zellner has represented include Steven Avery (who was the subject of the 2015 and 2018

series ''

''), Kevin Fox (who was falsely accused of murdering his three-year-old daughter), and 19 exonerees who are listed in the National Registry of Exonerations. ''Newsweek'' reported that a lawyer said that facing her at trial was "worse than my divorce." As of March 2016, she had won almost $90 million from wrongful conviction and medical malpractice lawsuits. In 2000, ''

The National Law Journal ''The National Law Journal'' (NLJ) is an American legal periodical founded in 1978. The NLJ was created by Jerry Finkelstein, who envisioned it as a "sibling newspaper" of the ''New York Law Journal''. Originally a tabloid-sized weekly news ...

'' named Zellner a top ten trial lawyer in the United States for a suicide malpractice verdict of $13 million. She also won a $15.5 million verdict for the violation of Kevin Fox's civil rights in 2007, an $11 million verdict for Ryan W. Ferguson in Missouri who had served 10 years in jail, and a $9 million civil rights verdict for Ray Spencer in Washington in 2014.Emma Ledger
"Why Making a Murderer’s Kathleen Zellner is going to be your next TV obsession,"
''Stylist''. In 2012, she won the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

"Pursuit of Justice" Award. In 2022, Zellner served as a consultant to

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...

on the '' Depp vs Heard'' defamation trial.

Personal life

Her husband Robert Zellner is a commodities and bond trader with a doctorate in economics. They have a daughter, Anne, who is also an attorney.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

*
National Registry of Exonerations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zellner, Kathleen Illinois lawyers American women lawyers Wrongful conviction advocacy People from Midland, Texas People from Bartlesville, Oklahoma Concordia University alumni Northern Illinois University alumni American civil rights lawyers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women