Great Concordian: Kathleen Zellner, champion of the wrongfully convicted

Kathleen Zellner, BA 74, has built a distinguished career as a lawyer known for her work on wrongful conviction cases and for her commitment to justice.

A native of Midland, Texas, and raised in Oklahoma, Zellner considered careers in investigative journalism or the FBI, and initially attended Marquette University and the University of Missouri.

An interest in law began to take shape during undergraduate studies at Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia’s two founding institutions, where she studied history and political science.

Zellner’s commitment to justice was evident early on. After earning her degree, she went on to graduate from Northern Illinois University’s College of Law and served as editor-in-chief of the school’s law review.

In 1991, she opened the Law Offices of Kathleen T. Zellner & Associates in Illinois, where she specialized in medical malpractice, civil rights and wrongful conviction cases.

The Great Concordian gained national attention when she took on the case of Larry Eyler, a man convicted of multiple murders. While working on the case, Zellner uncovered crucial information that suggested his involvement in additional murders, which led to further investigations into those crimes.

Following the Eyler case, Zellner made a personal commitment to never represent someone she believed to be guilty, instead focusing exclusively on defending those she believed to be wrongfully convicted.

Her most well-known case is that of Steven Avery, whose conviction for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach was the subject of the Netflix series Making a Murderer.

Zellner began representing Avery in 2016 and has been involved in various legal motions and proceedings aimed at challenging his conviction. Although her efforts to secure his exoneration have faced obstacles, her work has brought attention to potential flaws in the original investigation and trial process.

In addition to her work on high-profile cases like Avery’s, Zellner has been involved in numerous other wrongful conviction cases, achieving a number of successful exonerations. She is recognized for her ability to uncover new evidence and challenge the reliability of previous investigations.

Her legal work, which often involves examining forensic evidence and witness testimony, has led to significant legal victories for clients who had previously been sentenced to death or lengthy prison terms.

Zellner has received numerous prestigious accolades, including recognition as one of the top trial lawyers in the United States. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Senior Charter Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.

Zellner has also been named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and Lawdragon's Top 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers.

Today, Zellner continues to work on cases involving the wrongfully convicted, bringing attention to flaws in the justice system and advocating for those who have been overlooked by the traditional legal process.

Her approach is defined by a deep belief in the possibility of correction within the criminal justice system, as well as an ongoing commitment to righting wrongs wherever possible.

“You know you are getting close when the other side wants to silence the scrutiny,” she once wrote. “The truth is not afraid of questions.”