Ken Connor is a board certified civil trial attorney affiliated with the law firm of Marks Balette & Giessel, P.C., a firm nationally known for its successful representation of victims of nursing home abuse and neglect. Based in the Washington, D.C. area and practicing around the nation, Ken has been included among The Best Lawyers in America. In 2004 he was recognized by Florida Trend as one of Florida’s “Legal Elite”—among the top 1.6% of Florida attorneys, and in 2007, he was recognized by the Washingtonian as one of the D.C. area’s top attorneys.
Ken is licensed to practice law in Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Association for Justice, the Florida Association for Justice, Tennessee Association for Justice, and the Kentucky Justice Association.
Ken has long been in the foreground of issues involving the sanctity of human life. Highlights of his lifetime of advocacy include his current chairmanship of The Center for a Just Society, and his past service as President of the Family Research Council. He was a member of Florida’s Task Force on the Availability and Affordability of Long Term Care; a member of the Florida Governor’s Constituency for Children; a Commissioner on Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission, where he was recognized as “Best Debater”; and Chairman of the State of Florida Commission on Ethics. In 1994 he ran as a Florida gubernatorial candidate with running mate and long-time friend, Mel Martinez, who now represents Florida in the U.S. Senate.
Ken was the lead attorney representing Gov. Jeb Bush in defense of “Terri’s Law,” the legislation named for Terri Schiavo. He was appointed to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, a panel that meets every 10 years to make policy recommendations to the President and to Congress regarding long-term care issues. Additionally, Ken served as a member of the panel in the discussion of Ethics in America, a feature presentation shown on PBS.
Throughout his professional life Ken has been a voice in the nation’s media, including appearances on ABC’s “Nightline,” “Primetime,” and “World News Tonight,” NBC’s “Nightly News,” CBS’ “Evening News,” PBS’ “Newshour,” as well as many cable programs such as FOX’s “O’Reilly Factor,” “Hannity & Colmes,” “On the Record with Greta van Susteren,” CNN’s “Inside Politics,” MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” and many others.
In addition to his 2004 book, “Sinful Silence,” Ken has written many articles on law, theology and public policy, which have appeared in a variety of publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, USA Today, Miami Herald, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and he has been quoted in articles by news magazines such as Newsweek, TIME, and Business Week.
Ken received his B.A. and his Juris Doctorate from Florida State University in 1969 and 1972, respectively. He and his wife Amy have been married 38 years and have four children, and 4 grandchildren.
