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.









