Marshall B. Grossman

March 24, 1939 - September 30, 2023 Marshall Bruce Grossman passed away on September 30, 2023, after a courageous 10-year battle with Parkinson's disease. He is survived by Marlene, his wife of 61 years, children Rodger and Leslie, grandchildren Sofia, Goldie, and Max and his sister Phyllis Ruben, her family and a large extended family.
Marshall was born in Omaha, Nebraska on March 24, 1939, and moved to Los Angeles in 1943 when his father became the director of the Hollywood USO. Marshall attended Fairfax High School, UCLA, and USC Law School (Class of '64) where he graduated Order of the Coif.
Upon graduation from law school, Marshall talked his way into a job at the Beverly Hills law firm of Weber, Schwartz and Alschuler. Soon after joining the firm, he filed one of the first consumer class action lawsuits in the U.S. against the Playboy Club. Despite his youth and well-funded, established defense attorneys, Marshall won the case. A career was born. He stayed with the firm for more than 40 years. In 2013, he joined Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe. He retired in January 2020.
During his career, Marshall earned a reputation as a brilliant litigator. His success in the courtroom quickly made him a highly sought-after, nationally recognized trial lawyer. He specialized in prosecuting and defending complex, high stakes, "bet the company" litigation. He represented such diverse companies as Apple Computer, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Grupo Televisa and Estee Lauder and celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, J.K. Rowling and Clint Eastwood.
Profiled in "The Best Lawyers in America," Marshall was twice selected by the National Law Journal as one of the top ten trial lawyers in the country.
His passion for the law was matched by his passion to give back to the community He served the State of California first as a member of the California Coastal Commission and later as a commissioner on the California Commission on Judicial Performance. He was on a number of boards including the United Way and the Legal Aid Society. His real passion, however, was the Jewish community and Israel. A leading activist on behalf of dissidents in the former Soviet Union, he chaired the Concerned Lawyers for Soviet Jewry for fifteen years, during which time he made several trips to the former Soviet Union to advocate on the dissidents behalf. For many years he co-chaired the annual Chabad Telethon as well as serving on boards including Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Jewish Big Brothers and the American Jewish Committee.
Marshall was laid to rest in a private service at Hillside Memorial Park attended by his immediate family, his full and meaningful life will be celebrated at a later date at Temple Israel of Hollywood.
If you wish to make a donation in Marshall's memory, please consider contributing to organizations that help Israel and those directly impacted by violence. Organizations such as: AJC's Israel Emergency Campaign: IsraAid: New Israel Fund Emergency Response Efforts: and the Jewish Federations of North America