MARK L. BRONSON
1963-2007
Mark Bronson died Wednesday morning at a hospital in Brisbane, Australia, while on a business trip from Tokyo, Japan. In Tokyo he was the managing partner of the office of the Skadden, Arps law firm, the largest law firm in the world. His clients included Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse First Boston Securities, and many others.
Mark was born in Denver, then grew up in Chico, where his interests included racing and other cycling with the Velo Club, pottery, and watercolor painting He graduated from Chico High School in 1981 and received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1985. After a year with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., Mark earned his law degree from Stanford University, serving as the editor of the Environmental Law Journal.
He practiced real estate law in Los Angeles for several years, then moved to Tokyo, dramatically growing Skadden's office there and becoming recognized as the most successful lawyer in Japan in his field. Mark guided his clients through literally billions of dollars in real estate transactions, acquisitions, and mergers. He also opened Skadden offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
Mark built a strong public interest practice as well, often serving pro bono. He was president of the board of A Community of Friends, a Los Angeles group that built affordable housing for the disabled.
Mark is already terribly missed by his loving wife Karen, his six-year-old twins Mariko and Jack, brother Jeremy of Denver together with his wife and children, and parents Marion and Ed Bronson of Chico.
Mark was a brilliant and skillful attorney, a devoted father and husband, and a man who enjoyed and lived life to the fullest.
His extended family and his many friends and associates celebrate Mark's all too brief sojourn with us and wish him well on this new journey.
