Kendra Wharton is an accomplished defense attorney with extensive experience representing multinational corporations and executives in a wide range of criminal and civil matters.
She has represented both companies and individuals in connection with complex investigations and litigation by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and various United States Attorneys' Offices, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). She also has extensive experience managing corporate internal investigations and compliance initiatives, as well as responses to congressional inquiries and requests for congressional testimony.
Kendra also serves as a senior member of the defense team representing President Donald J. Trump in the criminal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Southern District of Florida and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as the criminal case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York.
Before launching her own practice, Kendra served as Special Counsel in the Washington D.C. office of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, a leading international law firm, and one of the oldest continuously operating legal practices in the United States. There she was a member of the Global Litigation Group and White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice for close to a decade.
Kendra was included in the 2021-2025 editions of The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch in recognition of her work in Criminal Defense: White-Collar. She is also Global Co-Chair of the Young Professionals Committee of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA) and a member of the Florida chapter.
Kendra received her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. She is admitted to practice in the State of Florida, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is also admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of Florida and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Prior to practicing law, Kendra served on the legislative staff of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, covering federal tax, banking, and financial services policy.