(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — Former public defender Mackenzie Renner failed to appear for two Kenosha County court hearings involving the same client on September 28, while the family of an entirely different Renner client facing serious felony charges says they have been unable to reach the attorney for weeks. That client, a 19-year-old, has been jailed since at least May 29, and his mother recently took to social media looking for help simply getting in contact with his attorney.
At Renner’s 8:30 a.m. Kenosha hearing, her client appeared as ordered. Renner did not. Court records depict court staff repeatedly attempting to reach Renner by telephone and email without success. Renner’s client later said on social media that Renner was in “trial.”
The same client was scheduled to return at 1 p.m. that afternoon, this time in a different courtroom before a different court official. Neither the defendant nor Renner appeared. Court records depict Renner as eventually communicating with that court and saying she was ill.
That created an apparent discrepancy: Renner’s own client publicly said she was in “trial,” while Renner herself eventually told another court she was ill. KCE has not determined why the explanations differed.
The client’s failure to return at 1 p.m. is also notable because the defendant had appeared as ordered that morning. It suggests the client may have been told by Renner not to show up, but KCE cannot confirm that.
And the two September 28 appearances are far from the only issues KCE has observed. KCE has witnessed Renner arrive significantly late for numerous Kenosha County court appearances and has witnessed additional no-call, no-shows apart from these two hearings. Courthouse sources have also described similar problems, making tardiness and missed appearances something of a habit for Renner.
Another Client’s Family Says Renner Is Unreachable
In an entirely separate case, Renner represents a 19-year-old facing serious felony charges in Walworth County. He has remained jailed since at least May 29 on $10,000 cash bail. Renner filed a notice of retainer in June.
As another court hearing approached, his mother publicly asked for help contacting Renner.
“Anyone know how to contact mackenzie renner….. she’s my son’s lawyer and her phone is not working and I need to talk to her…….” she wrote on Facebook.
The mother later said she had been trying to reach Renner “for weeks” without returned calls or texts and was concerned because her son had court approaching and she had questions. She apparently wasn’t alone. Another woman commenting on the post said she had emailed Renner twice without a response and had been trying to reach her for more than a week. “Good Luck with that! So weird, I have been trying for over a week myself,” the woman wrote.
A family friend separately contacted KCE and alleged that the 19-year-old’s family paid Renner a substantial amount of money for representation but has been unable to get calls and emails returned. The source told KCE she was “100% positive” about the communication problems and said Renner is also representing her friend’s son in a complex case. According to the source, Renner initially remained involved in that case but then “disappeared with no contact,” and her telephone number now appears to be disconnected.
Someone responding to the mother’s Facebook post tagged embattled Salem attorney Theodore “Ted” Kmiec III. Kmiec works with Renner, although Renner has stated on the record in court that she does not work for Kmiec or his Salem-based firm, Kmiec & Noonan, LLC.
KCE has obtained correspondence on official Kmiec & Noonan letterhead showing firm paralegal Julie Meltzer acting on Renner’s behalf. The correspondence expressly described a transcript request as “Attorney Mackenzie Renner’s request” and directed the court reporter to contact Meltzer regarding payment before forwarding the transcript “to our office.”
Renner Was Suspended Following Internal Investigation
Renner’s problems predate her private practice. Records obtained by KCE show she was the subject of two internal investigations while employed by the Public Defender’s Office, both involving alleged offensive comments tied to an individual’s protected status.
One investigation resulted in a one-day unpaid suspension after the agency concluded Renner violated state work rules prohibiting harassment, demeaning or discourteous treatment and false, inaccurate or malicious statements.
The investigation involved an inappropriate remark containing the words “bitch and slave.” Renner acknowledged making an inappropriate joke along similar lines, saying she had been trying to lighten a difficult situation and didn’t mean anything bad by it.
Renner was later internally investigated a second time over alleged offensive comments tied to an individual’s protected status.
After more than seven years managing the Public Defender’s Elkhorn office, Renner asked to step down from management. She told leadership the role was “not a good fit for me” and herself referred to the move back to an Assistant State Public Defender position as her “demotion.” She subsequently resigned from state employment.
Other Clients Have Alleged Ineffective Representation
In a court filing, another client alleged Renner refused to investigate purportedly exculpatory video evidence, refused to litigate jurisdictional issues, failed to meaningfully pursue pretrial motions despite unresolved discovery concerns and made a “material misstatement to the Court.”
“This is not mere disagreement over tactics,” the defendant wrote, arguing that the cumulative problems implicated the constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel. Those were the defendant’s allegations, not findings by a court. KCE is withholding the client’s name.
Renner’s representation has also been challenged in one of Wisconsin’s most notorious murder cases. Prominent Wisconsin attorney Joseph A. Bugni is seeking a new trial for convicted murderer Mark Jensen, arguing in part that Renner provided ineffective representation during Jensen’s 2023 murder retrial. A judge has not yet ruled on the claim.
KCE Has Witnessed The Problems Firsthand
KCE’s concerns about Renner aren’t based solely on complaints from others. KCE has personally witnessed her miss court and repeatedly arrive substantially late for proceedings in Kenosha County.
KCE Editor Kevin Mathewson also faced Renner from the opposite side of a relatively minor civil case. What Mathewson believed should have been a one-day hearing ultimately stretched across four hearing dates.
“She just never stops yapping,” Mathewson said.
Based upon KCE’s own observations of Renner in court, this publication believes she is a terrible attorney. That is KCE’s opinion, not a finding by a court or disciplinary authority.
The newest incidents, however, involve more than courtroom style. One client showed up for court while the attorney did not, only for both to miss another hearing hours later amid conflicting explanations for Renner’s absence. Another family says its jailed 19-year-old has been unable to get the basic communication expected from an attorney his family allegedly paid substantial money to represent.
For criminal defendants whose freedom may depend on the work their attorneys perform, being able to reach their lawyer — and having their lawyer show up for court — isn’t a minor concern.
