Kenda Culpepper
RESUME
 LEGAL EDUCATION
- Southern Methodist University School of Law, Dallas, TX
- Juris Doctor Degree (1992)
- Jessup International Moot Court Team, 1991
- Trial Advocacy (President, 1991-1992)
- Licensed to Practice in State of Texas (November, 1992)
- Licensed to Practice in United States District Court, Northern District of Texas (2001)
LEGAL EMPLOYMENT
- Milner, Finn & Price - Partner (2002 - present)
- Law Office of Kenda Culpepper (1995 - 2002)
- Assistant District Attorney, Dallas County District
- Attorney's Office, Felony and Misdemeanor Trial Divisions (1992 - 1995)
LEGAL HONORS
- Board Certified in Criminal Law (1999), Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- State Bar College
BAR ASSOCIATIONS
- Dallas Bar Association
- Chair - Criminal Section (2001 & 2002)
- Special Section Recognition Award (2001)
- Co-Vice Chair - Entertainment Committee (2002)
- Bench Bar Conference - Criminal Breakout Co-Leader (2001)
- Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association
- Board Member (2001 - 2002)
- Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
- Co-Chair - Young Voters (2002)
- Co-Chair - Freedom Run (2002)
- 2001 Leadership Class
- Texas Association of Young Lawyers
- Bar Leaders (2002)
- Texas District and County Attorney's Association
- Texas State Bar Association
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association
LEGAL ACTIVITIES
- Teach WEST class ("Weapons Education Safety Training")to local law enforcement, students, attorneys, and people charged with weapons cases (1996 - present)
- CLE Seminar Speaker for various bar associations
- "Expert Witnesses" - Panel Speaker for Dallas Bar Association
- "UCW - Statutory and Common Law Defenses"
BIO
After graduating from Texas A&M University in 1985, Kenda Culpepper attended Southern Methodist University School of Law. While there, she concentrated on preparing for a trial practice. She was President of Trial Advocacy and chaired the Mock Trial Competition. In her third year, the law school faculty chose her as the top student in Trial Advocacy. She was a member of the Jessup International Moot Trial Team where she won 8th place in a five state area for Individual Speaker. She was also in the Criminal Law Clinic where she began representing clients and tried her first drug case motion before Judge Ellis in Dallas County.
After graduating from SMU Law School in 1992, Ms. Culpepper joined the Dallas County District Attorney's Office where she was a prosecutor in both the misdemeanor and felony trial sections from 1992 to 1995. While there, she handled cases ranging from misdemeanor theft and DWI cases to drug cases to Aggravated Robbery and Attempted Capital Murder. She received extensive trial experience in those years as she was in the courtroom almost every day of that tenure. For a stretch of time, she was known to have the highest conviction record of her colleagues.
In December of 1995, Ms. Culpepper left the District Attorney's Office to go into private practice. Since that time, she has practiced almost exclusively Criminal Defense Trial Law. She became Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Specialization in 1999. In 2002, she became a partner at the prestigious Dallas firm of Milner and Finn. In 2003, she and former judge Jim Pruitt started another law firm in Rockwall, Texas. She continues to practice at both firms.
Although she practices primarily in the Metroplex area (Dallas, Rockwall, Collin, Denton and Tarrant Counties), Ms. Culpepper has handled cases in locations ranging from Houston to Lubbock to San Antonio. She is licensed to practice in the State of Texas and the United States District Court, Northern District of Texas.
Ms. Culpepper is the Immediate Past Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association (2001 Outstanding Section of the Year). She is also on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. She was the Criminal Co-Breakout Leader for the Dallas County Bench Bar, which included both judges and attorneys, and she has been appointed to state-wide committees dedicated to the betterment of the Criminal Justice system. She is a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Texas District and County Attorneys Association. Ms. Culpepper was also recently selected as a member of the William "Mac" Taylor American Inn of Court.
Ms. Culpepper is currently a faculty member of the state-wide Criminal Defense Lawyer's Project Criminal Trial Advocacy Institute. This faculty is comprised of many of the top ranked criminal defense practitioners from across the state. The Institute holds a week-long trial skills seminar for criminal law practitioners in Huntsville, Texas. Ms. Culpepper has also been on the faculty of the "WEST" (Weapons Education Safety Training) program since 1996. This class teaches weapons law and law regarding self defense and protection of property to attorneys, law enforcement officers and people charged with weapons offenses. She is considered an expert on these subjects by many of her colleagues. She has been a guest speaker for many associations on various legal topics and has chaired numerous Continuing Legal Education (CLE) events, including the Dallas Bar Association's Trial Skills Seminar and Federal Trial Skills Seminar.
In 2001, she was selected to be a member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Leadership Class where she was one of the founders of The Freedom Run. After the September 11th tragedy, members of this class founded The Freedom Run to benefit the American Red Cross and bring together the citizens of Dallas to show their support to the nation. The Freedom Run became to the largest first year 5K running event in the history of Dallas and continues in its 3rd year, now benefitting the Dallas Police Department's Assist an Officer Foundation which aids police officers who are injured or killed in the line of duty. Ms. Culpepper has been a co-chair of that event since 2002.
Ms Culpepper is also currently on the Board of Directors of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (2002 Distinguished Service Award) and the Dallas Women Lawyers Association. She is the Co-Chair of the Entertainment Committee of the Dallas Bar Association, comprised of over 9000 members, and immediate past co-chair of the DAYL Young Voter's Committee. She is a member of the State Bar College, the Rockwall County Bar Association, the Texas Association of Young Lawyers, and the State Bar of Texas. She is also a Life Founding Fellow of the DAYL Foundation.
PRACTICE AREAS: Criminal Law; Litigation.
Contact Kenda anytime at kenda@milnerfinn.com
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