About Kathleen
Kathleen McClernan earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore in 2004. She completed law school at a time when many graduates were weighing public service against private practice. McClernan entered the Maryland legal community soon after and has spent her career working across both sectors.
Her first notable post was as an Assistant Public Defender for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in 2007. There she handled trial work and client advocacy in a high-pressure setting. The experience gave her daily courtroom practice and a steady stream of contested matters. It also shaped her approach to procedural detail and client communication.
In 2013 McClernan moved into private practice as an associate at The Law Office of D. Anne Emery & Associates, LLC. That role broadened her exposure to civil matters and added transactional and counseling work to her resume. Three years later she launched her own firm. In 2016 she opened The Law Office of Kathleen McClernan, LLC and operated as owner while managing client intake, case strategy, and the administrative side of a small practice.
Her career took another turn in 2018 when she became a partner at Williams, McClernan, & Stack LLC. As a partner she shares responsibility for firm management and case direction. The move reunited her private practice experience with an established firm structure. It also placed her in a senior role where mentoring younger attorneys and shaping firm priorities are part of the job.
McClernan has maintained active ties to the Maryland legal community outside of her practice. She is a member of the St. Mary’s County Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association, both memberships dating to 2007. She is also an alumnus of Phi Alpha Delta, the international law fraternity, listed from 2008 to the present. These affiliations reflect a steady engagement with local and statewide professional networks.
Throughout her career McClernan has practiced in Maryland and built a portfolio that spans criminal defense, civil representation, and the practical demands of running a law office. Her work has moved between public defense and private practice roles in a way that gives her both courtroom experience and firm-level perspective. She now practices through Williams, McClernan, & Stack LLC and continues to handle matters in Maryland courts and administrative forums, focusing on client representation and case resolution in her jurisdiction.
