Inspired by his family, Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Mark Trachtenberg started a yearlong term as Chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL’s) Southwest Region on Jan. 1.
ADL fights all forms of hate by exposing hate groups, training law enforcement on hate crimes, developing anti-bias education programs for students, countering cyber-hate and relentlessly pursuing equal rights for all.
In remarks to the ADL’s regional board on Dec. 9, Trachtenberg said he was drawn to the ADL for several reasons – including his grandmother’s story of escaping Warsaw in 1938, just a year before the Nazi invasion, and the tragic deaths of several of her family members at the hands of the Nazis. He noted the poignancy of serving as chair exactly 100 years after his grandfather arrived in the U.S., fleeing anti-Semitic violence in Ukraine. And he explained how he has been inspired by his parents’ work with organizations such as the Holocaust Museum Houston and Jewish Family Service.
“There is nothing more devastating to a community than a hate crime,” Trachtenberg stated. “2019 was the deadliest year on record, and 63 percent of the total number of reported religion-based hate crimes were directed at Jews and Jewish institutions. In keeping with its core mission, ADL has been, and shall remain, the leader in the fight against anti-Semitism, both here and around the world. We all are playing a small part in this never-ending fight.”
The ADL’s Southwest Region, which covers Houston, San Antonio, and much of the remainder of Texas, is known for banner programs such as No Place for Hate® in schools K-12 and Community of Respect® in businesses and community organizations.
“I know that Mark Trachtenberg has already distinguished himself in service to our region and to ADL, and I can’t wait to see all that we will achieve under his leadership,” Nicole Nathan Gibson, outgoing ADL Southwest Regional Chair, stated in her remarks to the board.
This is the latest leadership role for Trachtenberg, who has devoted significant time throughout his career to leadership in his firm, community and professional organizations.
A partner in the firm’s appellate practice, Trachtenberg served as administrative partner of the Houston office from 2012-2018. He was on the Executive Committee of the Yale Law School Association, on the board of Houston Volunteer Lawyers, and on the Education Council of the United Way of Greater Houston. He also served as chair of an Appellate Subcommittee in the American Bar Association's Business Law Section and as chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Houston Bar Association.
Trachtenberg was selected as a member of the American Law Institute, and he has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., for Appellate and Commercial Litigation, 2016-2021; named one of the Top 100 lawyers in Texas, Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters (2020); named a Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, in appellate law, 2013-2020; and honored as a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation, Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, 2013-2020.
ADL fights all forms of hate by exposing hate groups, training law enforcement on hate crimes, developing anti-bias education programs for students, countering cyber-hate and relentlessly pursuing equal rights for all.
In remarks to the ADL’s regional board on Dec. 9, Trachtenberg said he was drawn to the ADL for several reasons – including his grandmother’s story of escaping Warsaw in 1938, just a year before the Nazi invasion, and the tragic deaths of several of her family members at the hands of the Nazis. He noted the poignancy of serving as chair exactly 100 years after his grandfather arrived in the U.S., fleeing anti-Semitic violence in Ukraine. And he explained how he has been inspired by his parents’ work with organizations such as the Holocaust Museum Houston and Jewish Family Service.
“There is nothing more devastating to a community than a hate crime,” Trachtenberg stated. “2019 was the deadliest year on record, and 63 percent of the total number of reported religion-based hate crimes were directed at Jews and Jewish institutions. In keeping with its core mission, ADL has been, and shall remain, the leader in the fight against anti-Semitism, both here and around the world. We all are playing a small part in this never-ending fight.”
The ADL’s Southwest Region, which covers Houston, San Antonio, and much of the remainder of Texas, is known for banner programs such as No Place for Hate® in schools K-12 and Community of Respect® in businesses and community organizations.
“I know that Mark Trachtenberg has already distinguished himself in service to our region and to ADL, and I can’t wait to see all that we will achieve under his leadership,” Nicole Nathan Gibson, outgoing ADL Southwest Regional Chair, stated in her remarks to the board.
This is the latest leadership role for Trachtenberg, who has devoted significant time throughout his career to leadership in his firm, community and professional organizations.
A partner in the firm’s appellate practice, Trachtenberg served as administrative partner of the Houston office from 2012-2018. He was on the Executive Committee of the Yale Law School Association, on the board of Houston Volunteer Lawyers, and on the Education Council of the United Way of Greater Houston. He also served as chair of an Appellate Subcommittee in the American Bar Association's Business Law Section and as chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Houston Bar Association.
Trachtenberg was selected as a member of the American Law Institute, and he has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., for Appellate and Commercial Litigation, 2016-2021; named one of the Top 100 lawyers in Texas, Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters (2020); named a Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, in appellate law, 2013-2020; and honored as a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation, Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, 2013-2020.