Death-penalty-qualified Nevada criminal defense with four decades of trial experience. From first-degree murder to federal criminal matters, Mr. McKenna represents clients facing the most serious charges Nevada's courts can bring.
Mr. McKenna's criminal defense practice is reserved for matters where liberty, reputation, and livelihood face the most serious threat. He does not handle DUI cases, misdemeanors, or routine criminal matters. His practice is selective by design: four decades of experience in Nevada's state and federal courts, applied to the cases that demand the highest level of advocacy.
The practice encompasses death-penalty-qualified capital murder defense, first-degree murder and homicide matters, sexual assault and serious sex-crime defense, federal criminal cases in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, and complex multi-defendant prosecutions.
Every engagement begins with a consultation to establish scope — the nature of the charges, the anticipated investigation and discovery, and the likely trial duration. The representation covers the matter through trial.
Preparation is a discipline, not a posture. From the moment of retention, every motion that should be filed is filed. Every witness who should be deposed is deposed. Every investigatory lead is pursued. The client is never asked to weigh thoroughness against cost.
This preparation posture is also what generates favorable resolutions. Prosecutors calibrate their offers against the defense they expect to face. When the defense is visibly prepared for trial from the first appearance, the calculus shifts. In Mr. McKenna's own words: "It is the ability to go to trial that creates settlement opportunities."
Nevada criminal procedure is set out chiefly in NRS Chapter 175 (procedure on trial) and NRS Chapter 174 (procedure to trial). Felony matters proceed by indictment or by information after preliminary examination. The Nevada Supreme Court Rules govern attorney conduct; capital cases additionally fall under SCR 250, which sets minimum qualifications for lead and second-chair counsel and is the framework against which counsel’s record is evaluated.
Capital sentencing in Nevada is bifurcated under NRS 175.552. The penalty hearing requires the trier of fact to weigh statutory aggravators against mitigators under the framework codified at NRS 200.030 and NRS 200.033. The Nevada Supreme Court reviews the proportionality of every death sentence and the legal sufficiency of the underlying conviction; the same court has, in a number of cases involving Mr. McKenna, set out the procedural posture that capital appellate counsel work within.
Federal criminal matters in Nevada are heard in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Local Rules IA 11-2 (attorney admission), LCR 12-1 (motions in criminal cases), and LCR 16-1 (criminal scheduling) govern federal practice and frame the timetable for motion practice and trial. The District of Nevada uses a unified Local Rules document covering both civil and criminal proceedings; the federal calendaring rules diverge in important ways from the Nevada state framework, and the engagement letter accounts for both.
The practice does not accept routine misdemeanors, DUI, or marijuana-only matters. Engagements are limited to matters where the substantive stakes — life sentences, the death penalty, sex offender registration, federal sentencing exposure, professional license consequences — justify full trial preparation from the day of retention.
The practice is based in Reno. Felony matters arising in Washoe County begin in Reno Justice Court or Sparks Justice Court with arraignment and preliminary hearing, and on bindover proceed in the Second Judicial District Court of Nevada in downtown Reno. Mr. McKenna has appeared in these courts across a career of more than four decades.
Federal criminal matters in northern Nevada are heard at the Bruce R. Thompson United States Courthouse in Reno, part of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, where Mr. McKenna has practiced throughout his career.
The engagement is not limited to Washoe County. Serious criminal matters are accepted statewide — in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Las Vegas, in Carson City, and in rural Nevada judicial districts — and travel is addressed in the engagement.
Mr. McKenna reviews inquiries personally. Matters involving in-custody defendants or imminent trial dates are reviewed immediately.
