Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller is proud to announce that firm shareholder and co-founder Mark Aronchick has been named a 2020 Trailblazer by the Legal Intelligencer. This award recognizes Pennsylvania attorneys who have been agents of change for the legal profession, whether through the cases they handle or the technological or policy advancements they have spearheaded.
Mark was honored for his work for social progress and justice over the last four decades, including his work on criminal justice reform, the rights of people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities, the protection of children, and the sanctity of elections. The publication also recognized his work to further LGBTQ+ rights, including his work on the landmark Whitewood case, which struck down Pennsylvania’s Defense of Marriage Act. In the article, Mark reflected on his career in both public and private practice, and discussed the future of his work, noting that there will continue to be pushback over LGBTQ+ rights and division over immigration, and that there is still a “huge amount of work to be done” regarding racial justice issues, particularly in the criminal justice system and in dealing with mass incarceration.
A founder and former Chair of the firm, Mark is a commercial litigator who handles a range of litigation matters for national and international, as well as pro bono clients. He is a past Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and was a member of Mayor William J. Green’s administration and was appointed as one of the youngest City Solicitors in the history of Philadelphia.
Mark has lectured on trial advocacy, litigation techniques, and professional ethics. He serves on the Board of the Defender Association of Philadelphia as well as on the boards of several other civic and community organizations. He has received numerous awards and citations for leadership of civic and Jewish community organizations and for pro bono public projects. Mark graduated with honors in 1974 from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his BA, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971.
