Mark Kressel, 38 Attorney, Horvitz & Levy Valley attorney Mark Kressel, 38, was a Broadway musician and a web designer before becoming a lawyer. “This (background) allows me to bring a broad, creative perspective to the law, which helps me work with clients to solve their legal problems,” said Kressel of Encino-based Horvitz & Levy. The Yale University and Yale Law School alumnus handles a variety of general litigation, appeals and patent infringement cases. He recently earned a victory for Tessera Technologies, when a federal court ruled that patents held by the company were valid and had been infringed by several competitors. Kressel says one of the greatest lessons he’s learned is to be persuasive. “Whether in the courtroom of presenting a website design to a client, you need to communicate your ideas in a manner that speaks to the audience and shows how you can solve their problems,” he said. Kressel participates in the legal community as a member of the Appellate Rules and Statuses Subcommittee of the Appellate Practice Committee for the American Bar Association and president-elect for the Barristers Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Firmly entrenched in his legal career, Kressel says not every career path is a direct one. “Embrace every opportunity presented to you,” he said. “Even if it may not appear on your direct path, the opportunity will enable you to gain experience and soak in knowledge that you can apply in other contexts.”