The outstanding legal career Kathleen Zellner has had and her unwavering dedication to the cause of justice have contributed to her high net worth.
Owen Daniel Thomas and Winifred Thomas gave birth to Kathleen on May 7, 1957, in Midland, Texas.
Her mother was a pediatric nurse, while her father was a geologist and engineer for ConocoPhillips.
Kathleen was raised in Midland with seven siblings and is of white ethnicity.
Prior to attending Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, and Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she attended the University of Missouri.
Because of her love of the law, Kathleen decided to enroll at Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1983. She graduated from the school in 1991, paving the road for her to become one of the most successful and well-known attorneys of her era.
In 1991, Kathleen Zellner started her legal career by advocating on behalf of a group opposed to the death penalty in Larry Eyler’s case. Larry Eyler was an Indianapolis house painter who had been found guilty and given the death sentence for the murder of a 15-year-old girl.
Joseph Burrows was wrongfully convicted of killing an 88-year-old man in her first case involving wrongful conviction.
After four years, Kathleen discovered the truth and brought Gayle Potter, the real murderer, to confess, saving Joseph’s life.
Kathleen became a well-known defender of the falsely accused after taking up Steven Avery’s case.
The popular Netflix series “Making a Murderer,” which featured the case and highlighted Kathleen’s tenacious pursuit of justice as she took on Avery’s cause, brought the case to public notice.
Kathleen’s commitment resulted in her advocacy and representation of Steven after the popularity of the program, which was highlighted by her efforts.
Ryan Ferguson was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to ten years in jail; Kathleen also resolved this case.
She assisted in the acquittal of four men falsely accused of killing a Chicago medical student, and she overcame Jerry Hobbs, who had been erroneously charged with the murders of his daughter and friend.
Kathleen Zellner is the most-exonerated private attorney in the US with 20 exonerations to her credit.
Robert Zellner, a bond and commodity trader who previously served as the director of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange before taking the helm of CitiCorp Futures Inc., wed Kathleen Zellner in 1970.
The pair first met in Missouri, where they began dating for a few months before exchanging vows.
Midway through the 1970s, they briefly moved to Canada before coming back to the United States. Anne Zellner, their daughter, is currently employed as an attorney at the Denver law office Ryley Carlock & Applewhite. Right now, the Zellner family is having a happy and peaceful life.
Kathleen Zellner has more than 26 years of experience practicing law in the Chicago area, and as of 2019, she has amassed a net worth of more than $90 million.
Zellner has a remarkable track record of $115 million in verdicts and settlements for her clients, many of which have set both state and national records. Zellner is the first attorney in the US to claim success in five multimillion-dollar settlements within a single year.
Zellner is an example of the strength of perseverance and commitment to the pursuit of justice as well as the defense of the rights of individuals who have been falsely charged and convicted.
Kathleen Zellner has had a huge impact on the legal system, creating precedents and influencing the wrongful conviction advocacy sector with her 20 exonerations and $115 million in verdicts and settlements.