Kenneth Wendell Ravenell

Kenneth W. Ravenell is a senior partner at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, where he oversees all criminal defense cases presented to the firm. He has defended numerous clients on charges ranging from securities fraud, bank fraud, healthcare fraud, money laundering, murder, and narcotics.

Noted for his dogged determination, incredible work ethic, and legal brilliance, he has earned an enviable track record in the courtroom, winning more than 250 jury trials throughout the country. Mr. Ravenell’s acquittal rate of close to 70% dwarfs the national average.

In 2005 Mr. Ravenell successfully defended Leeander Blake before the United States Supreme Court where Mr. Blake contended a statement of confession was taken from him in violation of his Miranda rights.

In United States v. Morrison (2009), Mr. Ravenell and his partner, Judge Billy Murphy, successfully represented Rodney Morrison, a multi-millionaire cigarette magnate, in a six-month trial where he was charged with RICO, RICO conspiracy, murder, arson, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. Morrison was ultimately convicted only on a charge of handgun possession and faced a maximum sentence of ten years as opposed to life without parole. Mr. Ravenell attributes the incredible success of the case to the impressive team of attorneys he worked with throughout the trial and stresses the importance of teamwork in complex matters.

Mr. Ravenell also represented well-known Baltimore-area priest, Maurice Blackwell, in State of Maryland v. Maurice Blackwell, a 2003 case that charged the priest in a sexual abuse scandal after he was shot by the man whom he allegedly molested years earlier. After a high-profile trial, all charges against Mr. Blackwell were dismissed.

In 2009, Mr. Ravenell was selected to join the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only organization that seeks to improve the standards of trial law. This is a distinguished honor achieved by less than 1% of the nation’s attorneys. Mr. Ravenell was also selected over all other Maryland attorneys to appear on the cover of the January 2012 issue of Maryland Super Lawyers.

After graduating cum laude from South Carolina State University in 1981, Mr. Ravenell pursued his J.D. at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, where he graduated in 1984.