John Michael McKenna

John M. McKenna is a partner in the law firm of Brennan McKenna Mitchell & Shay, Chartered with offices in Greenbelt and Glen Burnie, Maryland. His practice is heavily focused on state court criminal defense and complex personal injury litigation.

Mr. McKenna has spent his entire career practicing in suburban Maryland and the surrounding jurisdictions. He has been involved in countless jury trials throughout Maryland’s state courts ranging from serious motor vehicle offenses to death penalty litigation. Mr. McKenna has handled a myriad of state court trials including narcotics cases, serious child abuse and sex offense cases (including child pornography prosecutions), and murder charges. Other criminal trial work includes cases before Federal Magistrates in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland and at Andrews Air Force Base. Mr. McKenna has handled military courts martial at various military institutions including Quantico and Fort Meade, and he has defended University of Maryland students on code of conduct violations. Mr. McKenna has successfully argued briefs on behalf of his clients before Maryland appellate and federal courts. In addition, Mr. McKenna has dealt with coram nobis proceedings relating to immigration consequences for individuals with criminal convictions.

Mr. McKenna graduated cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1994, and clerked for the Honorable E. Allen Shepherd in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland. Before joining the firm of Brennan McKenna Mitchell & Shay, Chartered, Mr. McKenna served as a Felony Trial Attorney for the Office of the Public Defender in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Mr. McKenna is a member of the Maryland State Bar, the U.S. District Court for Maryland, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He is also an active member of various legal organizations including the Maryland State Bar Association, the Prince George’s County Bar Association and the Anne Arundel County Bar Association.