Ken Babcock
candidate for
Orange County Bar Association
Board of Directors

Support Ken’s Candidacy to serve on the the Board of Directors for the Orange County Bar Association

For 35 Years Ken served in Southern California Nonprofit Pro Bono Legal Aid Leadership.

I respectfully ask OCBA members for their vote for one of the four open seats for the OCBA Board of Directors. Remember to vote between September 1 and September 22, 2026.

Endorsements

Hon. Frederick P. Aguirre (ret.) – Judicate West

Hon. Gail A. Andler (ret.) – JAMS

Hon. Richard M. Aronson (ret.) – JAMS

Darren O. Aitken – Aitken * Aitken * Cohn

Fabio Cabezas – Law Offices of Fabio Cabezas

Steve Cardoza – Sheppard Mullin

Samantha E. Dorey – Everett Dorey

Mark D. Erickson – Haynes & Boone (ret.)

Michael G. Ermer – Irell & Manella

Todd G. Friedland – FBFK Law (former OCBA President)

Monica E. Glicken – Public Law Center

Hon. Thomas M. Goethals (ret.) – ADR Services

Roger A. Grable – Law Offices of Roger Grable (former OCBA President)

Hon. Andrew J. Guilford (ret.) – Judicate West (former OCBA President)

Hon. Raymond J. Ikola (ret.) – JAMS

Michele D. Johnson – Latham & Watkins

Jennifer L. Keller – Keller Anderle Scolnick (former OCBA President)

Karla Kraft – Stradling Yocca

David A. Lash – O’Melveny & Myers

Aaron J. Malo – Sheppard Mullin

Hon. Linda S. Marks (ret.) – Judicate West

Kate Marr – Community Legal Aid SoCal

Hon. Franz E. Miller (ret.) – JAMS (former OCBA President)

Sean P. O’Connor – Sheppard Mullin

Hon. Kathleen E. O’Leary (ret.) – JAMS

Hon. Gary M. Pohlson (ret.) – (former OCBA President)

Ajit S. Thind – Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley

Tony Wang – O’Melveny & Myers

Michael Yoder – O’Melveny & Myers (former OCBA President)

Hon. Laurie D. Zelon (ret.) – Judicate West

Endorsements are by the individuals listed; firm or organization listing is for affiliation purposes only.

Ken is running for one of the four open positions on the OCBA Board of Directors

The OCBA board is an important voice in our community. Ken’s experience in working with lawyers in practice settings large and small, his knowledge of nonprofit governance and finances, and his commitment to access to justice and pro bono legal services can help both the OCBA board and the greater Orange County legal community.

Ken’s legal career has been primarily dedicated to public service.

Ken handled numerous pro bono cases during his 8 years as a young litigation associate. After leaving private practice, Ken spent 11 years recruiting and training pro bono lawyers for the L.A. nonprofit group Public Counsel. In 2000 he became the Executive Director of the Public Law Center here in Orange County.

“In my 23 years leading PLC, I had the opportunity to work with dedicated staff, board members and volunteer attorneys who helped grow the organization from a staff of 12 when I started to a staff of 60 when I left. I’m very proud of the projects we began including efforts to assist veterans, immigrant victims of crime, elderly consumers and nonprofit organizations serving the community”.

Ken’s efforts to grow PLC’s budget of $750,000 when he started, to a budget of over $7 million when he left, gave him a strong understanding of nonprofit funding and finances. Through PLC’s work connecting the incredible talent and generosity of the Orange County legal community to the needs of the underserved, Ken also encountered the wide spectrum of lawyers practicing in Orange County.

Since his retirement from PLC in 2023, Ken has done consulting work for local nonprofits. Those have included:

Project Youth OC, where he was the Interim Executive Director for 10 months
The Orange County Collaborative Courts Foundation, where he’s currently helping the group develop a strategic plan
LevittQuinn Family Law Center, a well regarded legal services group in Los Angeles, where he’s currently serving as the Interim Executive Director

Ken is involved in several statewide efforts, including:

The State Bar’s Legal Services Trust Fund Commission, where his position puts him in the role of being a grantor of legal aid funding rather than a grantee
The Funding Committee and the Public Policy Committee of the California Access to Justice Commission, the leading policy advocate for access to justice in California
The State Bar’s Applicant Evaluation and Nomination Committee, where he assists with evaluation of candidates for the State Bar Court

Community Leadership

Involvement in community activities concerning access to justice has played a significant role in Ken’s professional life. Ken is a member of the State Bar’s Legal Services Trust Fund Commission. He is also a member of the California Commission on Access to Justice’s Funding Committee and Public Policy Committee. He previously served as the Commission’s Vice-Chair and Chair of its Funding Committee. He has also served on the California Judicial Council’s Civil & Small Claims Advisory Committee, the State Bar’s Applicant Evaluation and Nomination Committee, the Judicial Council’s Community Focused Court Planning Committee, the Aranda Access to Justice Award Selection Committee (Chair), the State Bar’s Legal Services Section (Chair) and the Orange County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Committee (Co-Chair).

Awards and Accolades

Individual Honoree – Orange County Bar Association Charitable Fund (2022)
Community Service Award – Orange County Women Lawyers Association (2014)
Dorsey Award – American Bar Association Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division (2010)
Attorney of the Year Award – Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County (2009)
Bernard E. Witkin Amicus Curiae Award – Judicial Council of California (2008)
Marcus M. Kaufmann Jurisprudence Award – Anti-Defamation League Orange County/Long Beach (2007)
Legal Services Provider of the Year Award – California Bench-Bar Coalition (2007)
Distinguished Alumni of the Year – U.C. Davis School of Law (2001)
Los Angeles Daily Journal 100 most influential lawyers in California (2003 & 2008)

Education & Experience

Ken is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A. with highest honors, Political Science 1978) and the University of California, Davis (J.D. 1981) where he was the Legal Research Editor of the Law Review and a member of the Moot Court Board. Prior to joining PLC in 2000, Ken was in leadership at a Los Angeles nonprofit pro bono legal services program, Public Counsel, for 11 years. Before entering the nonprofit sector, Ken was a litigator with two Los Angeles civil law firms.