Throughout the year, John Beckley is representing the Automobile Club of Southern California in high-stakes legal matters ranging from employment law to wildfire and catastrophe subrogation.
But courtroom victories aren’t the most fulfilling part of his job as head litigator. Working side-by-side this past year with the Auto Club’s growing team is what he enjoyed most about his work, he says.
“The most fulfilling part of my job was the people I got to work with, from the executive team to my immediate colleagues and our recently added staff,” Beckley told the Business Journal in an email.
Beckley was honored last year in the Specialty Counsel category at the Business Journal’s 14th annual General Counsel Awards. The next event will be held on the evening of Nov. 6 at the Irvine Marriott.
A Diversity of Cases
Beckley’s work at the Auto Club spans nearly three decades.
He joined in 1997 and became part of the organization’s first in-house litigation team.
In 2002, he was promoted to his first management role. In 2010, the Auto Club created the deputy general counsel position for him and one other colleague. He was then named head litigator three years ago.
“It’s very diverse. I’m never bored,” he told the Business Journal last year after winning his award. “I’m always challenged by the work.”
As head of litigation, Beckley oversees all corporate litigation for the Auto Club, with administrative offices in Costa Mesa, which includes a mix of legal matters such as class actions, representative actions, insurance, mass actions, wildfire and catastrophe subrogation and employment law.
He also manages outside counsel when partnered on complex litigation across the Auto Club’s California and out-of-state footprint.
Over the years, he has led appellate teams defending the Auto Club’s business models in cases that reached the California Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals and the California Courts of Appeal.
His past work, such as the defense of the Auto Club’s battery program and installment fees, has resulted in at least 16 published cases on various legal topics over the years. This includes being one of the few attorneys in California to lead the defense in two class and representative action trials, according to the Auto Club.
Beckley says the organization’s successes are rooted in teamwork.
“It is genuinely a pleasure to collaborate with a group that takes immense pride in our organization and works together with a strong sense of shared ownership and mutual respect, which makes celebrating our numerous achievements even more meaningful,” he said in an email.
As such, the Auto Club team was recognized for its work serving customers this year.
The organization, the fourth largest private company in Orange County with 2024 revenue of $10.6 billion, was ranked No. 1 in California for overall customer satisfaction in J.D. Power’s U.S. Auto Insurance Study for the second consecutive year.
“I am so proud of the many dedicated employees who earned this recognition for our organization with their helpful and caring service to our insured members,” President and CEO Greg Backley said in a statement. “The Auto Club celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, and our commitment to providing exceptional service hasn’t changed.”
The ranking is based on a study of auto insurance customers who were asked to rate their primary insurance companies.
“We view the J.D. Power study as a respected, meaningful benchmark, and we are pleased to see the results of the study reflect the effort we put forth to exceed our members’ expectations,” Backley said.
Victories Outside the Courtroom
Outside the office, Beckley devotes significant time to pro bono and nonprofit service.
He continues to serve on the Orange County Bar Association Charitable Fund Board of Directors, which provides legal services to underserved communities, and chairs the group’s Audit Committee.
He also sits on the boards of the California Employment Law Council and the Civil Justice Association of California.
Next month, he’ll be mentoring the next generation of lawyers.
On Nov. 13, he will serve as an attorney volunteer for the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s high school moot court competition at Orange County Superior Court.
He says volunteering allows him “to see what’s going on out there other than the Auto Club.”
It also “makes me a better lawyer.”
