About Mark A.
Mark A. Kressel built an uncommon path to the law. He arrived at the profession after a stint as a Broadway musician and a period producing digital projects. The detours show in the way he thinks about litigation: precise, attentive to timing, and aware of performance under pressure.
He earned a B.A. in American/United States Studies/Civilization from Yale University in 1995 and later returned to Yale for his J.D., awarded in 2007. Those years in New Haven bookend an academic record that prepared him for appellate work and complex litigation.
Before entering private practice, Kressel worked in creative and technical roles. In 1996 he freelanced as a musician and composer on Broadway. By 2000 he was producing projects for R/GA, a digital agency. The transition to law followed his clerkship for the Honorable Jay S. Bybee on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2007. He joined Irell & Manella LLP as an associate in 2008 and became a partner at Horvitz & Levy in 2011.
His career trajectory reflects an early focus on appellate work. The clerkship on the Ninth Circuit provided direct exposure to federal appellate practice. He is admitted to practice in California and has standing in multiple federal appellate courts, including the Third, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Federal Circuits, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court. He also appears in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Kressel’s professional affiliations mirror the range of matters he handles. He maintains memberships in the American Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. He is part of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and belongs to the California Society for Healthcare Lawyers. He also holds membership in the LGBTQ+ Bar Association of Los Angeles. These connections place him in conversations about professional standards, healthcare-related legal issues and industry approaches to diversity and inclusion.
Colleagues describe him as methodical in preparing briefs and strategic in oral argument. His background in performance and production informs courtroom delivery and case presentation. At Horvitz & Levy he draws on appellate experience and trial practice to represent clients in federal and state matters. He currently practices at Horvitz & Levy LLP, where he handles appellate and civil litigation matters.
