Riddell, Douglas

Mr. Drake received his undergraduate education at the University of Arizona and his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 1978. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he worked as a reporter for two Los Angeles-area newspapers and served as press secretary in two gubernatorial campaigns.

As a lawyer, Mr. Drake earned his reputation as an associate, partner and finally managing partner at the law firm of Rushfeldt, Shelley & Drake LLP ('RSD'), a preeminent professional liability (i.e., malpractice) defense firm in Los Angeles. During his 28 years at RSD, Mr. Drake defended countless personal injury cases, often on behalf of hospitals and doctors, and many of them involving complex medical issues. Mr. Drake also represented, and still occasionally represents, health care and mental health providers in litigation and administrative proceedings.

At Kenneth W. Drake & Associates, Mr. Drake now works for plaintiffs using his vast experience defending cases to help his clients build the strongest cases possible. The bottom line is, Mr. Drake knows from the inside how insurance companies and their defense attorneys think and what strategies they try to employ to defeat or minimize claims, and that knowledge makes him a far more effective plaintiffs’ attorney. In addition, Mr. Drake has impressive connections to a vast field of medical providers who he can call upon and employ as experts diagnose and testify about his clients’ injuries. Having the best medical experts can be the difference between winning or losing personal injury or wrongful death cases, and can also be crucial to establishing the maximum value of such cases.

In addition to representing plaintiffs in wrongful death and serious personal injury cases, Mr. Drake still represents various professionals in the health care and mental health fields in administrative proceedings. He has taught and lectured on medical-legal issues, with particular emphasis on managed care litigation trends.

Personally, Mr. Drake’s interests include his children, spending time in Santa Barbara, politics, sports (with particular emphasis on the Arizona Wildcats) and the theater.