NATIONAL CRIMINAL DEFENSE COLLEGE

FACULTY DIRECTORY

 

 

For a list of NCDC faculty who have taught in prior years, please click here. 

Michael Kennedy

Partner Law Offices of Michael Jerome Kennedy, PLLC
Work 333 Flint Street Reno NV 89501 TPI Attendance: June, 1994
Photo of Michael Kennedy

Biography

Mr. Kennedy has worked almost exclusively in federal courts in the west (Nevada, California and Washington state) since 1992 defending individuals accused of a variety of federal crimes (guns, drugs, murders, rape, white collar offenses, RICO, VICAR, artifacts and anthrax to name a few) in some high profile, more low profile and often no profile cases. In March of 2016, he left the Office of the Federal Defender in Nevada and opened his own law practice. Mr. Kennedy teaches trial skills each year at the National Criminal Defense College, the Federal CJA Trial Skills Academy and/or other similar programs.

Mr. Kennedy has successfully defended numerous individuals accused by the government of committing crimes. In 1998, he successfully defended Larry Wayne Harris (identified in an 1997 US. News & World Report article asthe “Next Unabomber”) in Las Vegas and Columbus, Ohio against charges identifying Harris as a domestic terrorist in an alleged plot to use anthrax as a weapon. In 2006, he obtained a complete victory for Sohn Regas in both the 14 defendant state – and 44 defendant federal – Hells Angels prosecutions in Las Vegas arising from an incident in Harrah’s Laughlin casino between the Mongols and Hells Angels which left 3 dead. In 2008, he obtained acquittals in Reno in two attempt murder prosecutions, one of which arose from a shoot-out inside his client’s (David Lantry) home where two law enforcement officers were shot. In 2014, he obtained an acquittal on all four federal murder charges in a DOJ, Civil Rights Division, double homicide prosecution against an alleged former skinhead leader.

In March of 2016, he and his co-counsel obtained an acquittal in a federal mortgage fraud conspiracy and wire fraud prosecution in Las Vegas. Most recently, on February 24, 2020, following 7 trial months, he obtained an acquittal for Ernesto Gonzalez on all counts (two federal murder counts and a 12 year plus RICO conspiracy charge) arising from the Department of Justices’s failed attempt to prove that the Vagos Motorcycle Club is a criminal RICO enterprise engaged in racketeering activity.

Mr. Kennedy has been selected for inclusion in the Nevada Super Lawyers, and recognized nationally by the National Academy of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Trial Lawyers Association, for the practice of criminal defense. He began his career in 1988 as an associate with Holland & Hart in Denver, Colorado after graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School cum laude and is an active member of the Colorado, California and Nevada state bars.