David A. Ogden, a longtime Malibu resident and highly respected local attorney, died on May 14, 2020, in Big Fork, Mt. David was born on Feb. 28, 1945 in St. Louis, Mo. His parents were Phillip and Eleanor Ogden. For 35 years, David and his family lived on Point Dume until he retired in 2010 and moved to Montana.
David started his legal career with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and became the head deputy of the West Los Angeles Office. He then worked for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power before establishing his own private practice. For the past 28 years, he was the senior partner of the firm of Ogden & Motley. He specialized in criminal law. He was well known and well regarded in almost every courthouse in Los Angeles County by both the bench and bar. He was a past president of the Malibu Bar Association.
Before moving to Montana, he was an active member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Malibu.
He was well known as the real-life inspiration for the Michael Connelly character, “The Lincoln Lawyer.” David shared his attorney experiences with Michael Connelly at a Dodger game and that lead to “The Lincoln Lawyer” character and movie. David actually had a former client drive him from courthouse to courthouse in David’s blue Lincoln.
David is survived by his wife, Patti; his sons, Jonathan and Matthew; his daughter-in-law, Alicia; his grandson, Asher; his granddaughters, Autumn and Callie; his stepbrother, Darwin Cuddeback; and Darwin’s wife, Somsri. His family will remember him as an inspiration to all who knew him and said he would be missed.