About Karren M.
Karren M. Kenney has practiced law since her admission to the California bar in 1994. She is licensed in California, admitted to the Ninth Circuit, and has federal privileges in the District of Columbia. Her career spans public defense, private practice, and forensic training. She remains an active member of several professional organizations and holds multiple fraud-related certifications.
Kenney began her academic path at California State University, Fullerton, where she completed her undergraduate degree. She earned her law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. In 2003 she returned to California State University, Fullerton to complete a Certificate in Basic Applied Forensics. That combination of legal education and formal forensic study informs much of her later work.
She moved into public defense early in her career. In 2001 she served as a Senior Deputy Public Defender in Orange County, handling criminal matters on behalf of the state’s indigent population. More than a decade later she launched her own practice. In 2012 she established Kenney Legal Defense, a firm organized to handle both business and criminal defense matters. Her practice has carried that dual emphasis since its founding.
Kenney has pursued specialized credentials related to financial crime and investigation. She became a Certified Fraud Specialist in 2013 through the Association of Certified Fraud Specialists. In 2018 she earned the Certified Fraud Examiner designation from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Those certifications sit alongside memberships in several professional groups. She has been a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners since 2016 and held membership in the Association of Certified Fraud Specialists beginning in 2013. She joined the Federal Bar Association in 2012 and has been a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since 2009. Locally, she served on the Executive Board of the Orange County Lawyers Association from 2008 to 2012, and participated on the Orange County Bar Association’s Lawyers Referral and Information Service committee from 2012 to 2016.
Her work blends courtroom experience from public defense with the investigative perspective that forensic training and fraud certifications provide. She handles matters in state and federal forums and maintains active licensure in multiple jurisdictions. She represents clients in business and criminal defense matters.
