Amber Shumake
Jeff Kearney, founder of Fort Worth-based Kearney Law Firm and one of the most acclaimed criminal defense attorneys in the U.S., has been named “Lawyer of the Year” for Criminal Defense-White Collar by Best Lawyers’ The Best Lawyers in America 2025.
Kearney is the only criminal defense attorney in all of Dallas-Fort Worth to receive the honor, and one of only five in the state of Texas to be named “Lawyer of the Year” within the category.
“Lawyer of the Year” is the most esteemed annual award presented by The Best Lawyers in America®. Recipients are determined through a comprehensive peer-review survey, according to Best Lawyers.
Kearney was also named “Lawyer of the Year” in 2010.
"As an industry-driven professional recognition, it is the opinion of lawyers themselves that determines our awards," said Elizabeth Petit, Director of Research & Development and Managing Editor at Best Lawyers. "We received record-breaking voter participation in this year's editions of both The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.
“As an organization, we also reached a milestone in the U.S., surpassing 250,000 individual voters since we began asking our core question over 40 years ago: 'If you are unable to take a case, how likely would you be to refer your client to this nominee?' With more engagement from the market, the barrier for recognition is higher and more competitive than ever before. This reflects not only the profession's commitment to celebrating professional excellence, but also the increasing importance of every voice in shaping the standards of legal distinction."
With more than 40 years of experience in both federal and state court, Kearney is a sought-after criminal defense lawyer, specializing in the representation of prominent and high-profile clients. Doctors, lawyers, judges, business executives, and professional athletes have been among his many clients. Notable high-profile cases include:
- The 1994 Branch Davidian trial where Kearney represented one of the 11 cult members found not guilty of murder
- The 2005 post-Katrina civil rights trial in which Kearney represented New Orleans police Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann, who was found not guilty after being accused of burning the body of a 31-year-old Henry Glover in a car after he was shot and killed by another New Orleans police officer
- The 2022 trial of former Boeing executive Mark Forkner, a former chief technical pilot for Boeing and the only person to be charged in connection with crashes of the Boeing 737 Max jets in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019 that killed 346 people. Forkner was found not guilty.
Board-certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Kearney has earned many awards and honors, including being inducted into the Texas Criminal Defense Hall of Fame in 2015 by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Kearney is also consistently listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Texas Super Lawyers, and the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and is a past recipient of the Presidential Award from the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Kearney is also a member of the 2024 Fort Worth Inc.’s The 400, the most influential people in Fort Worth by industry.
Kearney received a Bachelor of Business Administration from TCU and a Juris Doctorate from Baylor Law School.