Meet Steve

FAIR AND FOR THE PEOPLE

As a former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney for more than 25 years, Steve Ipsen represented our community and fought to keep our families safe. He prosecuted numerous complex and violent cases including: murder, rape, child molestation, robbery, kidnapping, car jacking and terrorist threats. Early in his career, Steve was invited to join the prestigious Crimes Against Peace Officers Section (CAPOS), where he successfully prosecuted crimes against police officers and deputy sheriffs. Steve prosecuted over 100 jury trials without a single acquittal.

Steve has been committed to protecting victims of crime in and out of the courtroom. Young or old, from any background, race or ethnicity, protecting their rights, their property and their lives has remained Steve's highest priority. In 2008, Steve co-authored the Victims Bill of Rights, known as Marsy's Law. This act amended California's Constitution and became the most powerful guarantee of rights for victims anywhere in the United States.

FROM WISCONSIN to LA

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1961, Steve grew up in the mid-west with his mother, father and four sisters. In 1983, Steve graduated with honors from the University of Virginia with a double major in Economics and Rhetorical Studies. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree, he moved to California and attended law school at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was awarded the esteemed John M. Olin Fellowship in Law and Economics. While in law school he followed in the footsteps of his mother, an educator, by teaching a class in "street law" at Grant High School in the San Fernando Valley. In 1986, Steve joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in pursuit of his abiding commitment to advocate for the people. He currently represents victims to ensure their constitutional rights are upheld under Marsy's Law.

A NATURAL LEADER

Steve was elected by his peers to nine terms as President of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys. As President he championed this organization's call to unionize and built it into the largest prosecutors union in the United States. During this same time, Steve served as one of the Vice-Presidents of the California State Bar Association, the organization which both represents and disciplines attorneys in the state of California.