(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. – Attorney Mackenzie S. Renner, a longtime Walworth County public defender and known liberal, appears to have left the State Public Defender’s Office and is now connected to Kmiec & Noonan, LLC — a Salem-based law firm whose reputation has been overshadowed by controversies surrounding its co-founder, attorney Theodore “Ted” Kmiec III, and his family.
A recent court filing shows a Kmiec & Noonan paralegal submitted a request for a document on Renner’s behalf. The filing suggests she has aligned herself, at least in some capacity, with the firm. Renner had managed the Walworth County Public Defender’s office since 2018 after spending a decade in Kenosha, but her current employment status with the state is unclear.
The scrutiny does not come from the firm’s advertised practice areas — which include criminal defense and family law — but rather from the legal troubles of the Kmiec family. As first reported by Kenosha County Eye, Ted Kmiec’s son, Trenton Kmiec, is facing dozens of felony charges, including child sexual exploitation and abuse of minors, after a sheriff’s SWAT raid at the Kmiec home.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Ted Kmiec himself has also drawn serious scrutiny. According to law enforcement records reviewed by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office, deputies allegedly found drugs in his bedroom, office, and other areas of his home. Despite those findings, he was never charged with a crime. In addition, his mistress died in his bed of a drug overdose, an incident that further fueled public suspicion but did not lead to criminal charges.
While Kmiec & Noonan continues to operate as a functioning law office, these scandals have cast a long shadow over the practice. Kenosha County Eye has also reported concerns that Kmiec family members may have received unusually favorable treatment in past cases, with charges reduced, transferred, or handled quietly by prosecutors.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Renner, by contrast, spent her career defending indigent clients as a public defender. Her apparent decision to now be linked, even indirectly, with the Salem-based firm places her alongside one of southeastern Wisconsin’s most controversial legal families. Whether her involvement is limited to a single filing or represents a deeper partnership remains to be seen.
What is certain is that the intersection of Renner’s career shift and Kmiec & Noonan’s notoriety is likely to raise new questions in both the legal community and the court of public opinion.
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18 Responses
While Kmiec’s issues are well known his partner, Kevin Noonan, doesn’t have the same reputation. If she goes there hopefully Kenzie will add some class to the place.
Maybe Ted’s hanging it up ?
All sorts of reasons.
Or maybe nobody else would hire her as she gets out of government.
Who knows. But more importantly, who cares ?
Good for her. Say what you want, Ms. Renner is moving on for reasons nobody needs to speculate on. According to this article, she has truly served citizens beyond their means with expert legal representation. Good luck to her. Nortsider
Nortsider, are you anywhere near Jewels over by dare.
This nortsider use to live over dare over by da jewels over dare!
Expert legal representation??¿? She represented me on my few mistimeaner charges. Didn’t return my text or calls for 2 months, requesting my court date for jury selection, and cost me a criminal record and 10,000 for her county.
This after convincing me she was a ali and friend even adding me to her fb friends list. My experience was one of shock, disbelief and betrayal.
I now tell everyone stay out of Walworth Countys “Surprise Court”
She should be a “get paid when her client wins” attorney!(!
Kmiec posted about her joining weeks ago all over his fb. God only knows why she would even want to be associated with that. Either she has some shit going on, or she wasn’t fully aware of the dirty laundry he has in his hamper. But I doubt that.
BYe bye one less we have to terminate .
I totally agree with this statement in regards to McKenzie!!
Being from Illinois my entire life, I made a move to Lake Geneva. Going through a mid life crisis and mental breakdown. I was arrested had seizures not only in holding but in the court room. One seizure was provoked by the balif behind her in the first photo. I hear he’s been asked for his retirement, after the in human way he literally screamed me into a seizure
She first played my friend even adding me to her fb friends. After almost three years of continuances after she changed my court date, didn’t return my calls for a month and a half,as I questioned our new court date.
Deliberately caused me to miss a pretrial court date xs 2 cost me 10,000 in fines 4 additional charges and 3 years probation!!!! Betrayed and ripped off I felt by the lawyer I put in a pedestal!!!?????¿?!! Biggest fake of a person a lawyer and now I ask myself “what was so great about her anyways?”
Also can’t help but wonder, how many others are there like me??
Let’s not blame Noonan for his partnership with Kmiec. The latter has always been very professional and has stayed away from the “I do you a favor, you do me one” mentality. Kenzie joined the firm at least two months ago. She realized she couldn’t spend the rest of her life defending manipulative indigent criminals. It’s time to grow up.
She’s not doing her career any favors associating herself with the Kmiec name.
I was one of those “indigent” first time criminals!!! Only one manipulated by was me!!! She even excepted me as her FB friend!!! Real professional and “grown up” Deliberately didn’t respond to my over a month asking the date to return to court !!!! Only to have my life ruined with most minor mistimeaners and 10.000 for Walworth County!!! Good lawyer works for the people nit the county but she’s the slickest lawyer I ever knew!! All the time makes you believe she’s working to help the helpless, in all actuality she became the defender’s office manager because in the she brought in the most money from her clients in fines to the county. Fake, slick, back stabbing and you never see it coming!!! She’s got the right to go public and look out because she’s great at a promise then a laugh!!! She should only get paid if she wins then ya know……. She’d win them all. Good luck McKenzie, Gods still watching!! More luck to anyone that believes YOU !!!
Why is it so important that you have to always announce a persons political affiliation? Can’t you just write an unbiased article without injecting your personal biased against anyone who is not a conservative, Republican, or Maga lover?
A real journalist doesn’t need to point that out every time but instead they just report on the story itself.
I found this to be an excellent story. The people have a right to know. I had never heard of her and the story portrayed the person she is and the choices she has made. Does her political affiliation embarrass you? Are you by chance a journalist? Tell us more. Tell us more about your expertise reporting facts. I see no bias in this article other than the comment you had left. Look inward biased one. Heal now.
I can give “expertise reporting” on McKenzie!!! She represented me after gaining my trust even becoming my friend on FB(that’s very unprofessional)
She lied, set me up to miss pretrial dates, two separate times, threw me under the bus, 4 additional charges and had me paying Walworth 10,000 for her lack of communication or just working for the county and not me. I saw her in court and actually felt blessed she got my case. Left me with a criminal record at 54 with minor mistimeaners keeping me from the nursing field ive worked for 35 years!!! One less healthcare worker and one more fake lawyer working for the county, not the people in need. In the end all I felt was shock, betrayal and disbelief when it came to McKenzie Renner!!!! I’m sure I’m not the first or last to be “toyed” by her. She may fit right in with unhonest attorneys!!!!
The reason I write this now is im actually watching a wis. case out if Pleasant Prairie and it’s the case against Mark Jensen and in the TV is my lawyer Mackenzie and I can’t believe my eyes standing behind her the balif that literally screamed me into a seizure. Watching this I ask “Giw much did you sell him out for McKenzie??? Because you played my Ali my fb friend and I fell for all her sick manipulation. Deliberately failed notify me if pre trial court hearings costing me at 54 years old no criminal record a multiple mistimeaner record keeping me outa my nysing career of 35 years 3 years probation and made the county 10,000 from me in fines for missing court
I moved out of Wis. before I even had my first court date and continue to call Walworth County “surprise court” STAY OUTA WIS …… This could be you and your future and if you want to loose money and loose cases, hire
MCKENZIE REENER!!!!