For more than 30 years, Ken Ostrow has been litigating complex cases on behalf of corporate entities and stakeholders and representing individuals in family law and estate planning matters. Ken has significant jury and non-jury trial experience and has been responsible for the management and oversight of all phases of civil litigation in federal, state, and bankruptcy courts, including appellate briefing and appellate oral argument. Ken also has advised individuals in marital dissolution and post-judgment dissolution matters and has developed an expertise in estate planning for families and individuals, including the litigation of probate and trust disputes in probate court.
Ken’s clients have included MacAndrews & Forbes Group, Tennenbaum Capital Partners, Revlon, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Starwood, General Motors, Cerberus Capital, TD Securities, Merrill Lynch, and the Official Creditors’ Committee of Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
Ken began his legal career at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he worked from 1988 through 1994. In 1995, Ken became General Counsel of New World Entertainment. While at New World, Ken oversaw a department of 12 attorneys, hired and supervised outside counsel handling New World’s litigation, and negotiated various domestic and international agreements for the company. In 1997, after News Corporation/Fox purchased the assets of New World Communications Group, Ken co-founded the boutique litigation firm of Diamond & Ostrow, LLP with Michael Diamond. The firm grew to 6 attorneys and in 2001 merged into the Los Angeles office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, where Ken worked with Mike managing Milbank’s West Coast litigation practice. In 2010, Ken joined Kolodny & Anteau, a top-tier Beverly Hills family law practice, where he participated in all phases of complex, high profile, high net worth family law matters, until the firm dissolved in 2012. In addition to practicing family law with Kolodny, Ken handled the diverse civil litigation that arose in many of the firm’s dissolution cases and advised the firm’s clients on estate planning issues that often arise during a divorce.
Prior to joining Valle Makoff, Ken continued his litigation, family law and estate planning practice as a sole practitioner in Los Angeles.
Ken earned his J.D. in 1988 from UCLA Law School. He received his B.A. in history and psychology, with distinction, from Cornell University in 1984.