Ken Babcock brings over 30 years of experience in non-profit leadership focused on access to justice.

For 22 years Ken served as Executive Director and General Counsel of the Public Law Center in Santa Ana. There he significantly expanded the organization so that many more of Orange County’s low-income residents received pro bono legal assistance. He developed new programs serving immigrant victims of crime, expanded programs for the LGBTQ community, the unhoused, veterans and non-profit organizations. During his tenure at PLC, Ken increased the organization from a staff of 12 and a budget of $750,000 to a staff of 60 and a budget of over $7 million. Thousands of volunteer lawyers and law students joined PLC’s staff during Ken’s time at PLC to provide over one million hours of free legal services to Orange County’s underserved.

Kenneth Babcock
Ken Babcock

Non-Profit Services

  • Leadership Development
  • Executive Coaching
  • Board Development
  • Program Development
  • Business Practices Review
  • Strategic Planning
  • Meeting Facilitation

Law Firm Services

  • Pro Bono Policy Development
  • Pro Bono Systems Development
  • Engagement with Non-Profit Organizations

Community Leadership

Involvement in community activities concerning access to justice has played a significant role in Ken’s professional life. He is 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

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 non-profit pro bono legal services program, Public Counsel, for 11 years. Before entering the non-profit sector, Ken was a litigator with two Los Angeles civil law firms.

Contact

Ken Babcock Consulting, LLC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or assistance. Submitting this contact form will not form an attorney client relationship between you and Ken Babcock or Ken Babcock Consulting, LLC.

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