New York partner named to Crain’s New York Business’s Notable LGBTQ Leaders
United States | Press release - People | June 21, 2022
Crain's New York Business has named New York Co-Head of Litigation and Disputes Mark A. Robertson to its 2022 list of Notable LGBTQ Leaders.
The publication celebrates LGBTQ professionals in New York City who are making a major impact through their "career accomplishments, their mentorship of others, and their involvement in community and industry organizations" in the LGBTQ community.
Robertson has spearheaded a number of LGBTQ initiatives at Norton Rose Fulbright. As chair of the firm's Pride Committee, Robertson has led efforts to offer personal pronouns on email signatures, recruit LGTBQ law students, and track the recruitment and retention of LGBTQ lawyers. He has served as Co-Chair of the firm's New York office Pro Bono Committee and currently sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. For these and other efforts, he received the 2021 Norton Rose Fulbright Global Inclusion Award for advancing inclusion in the workplace.
In his successful litigation practice, he represents major corporations in trial courts. But he counts some of the pro bono work he does for the LGBTQ community as some of his greatest accomplishments.
In one example, Robertson recently represented a gay man from Serbia who sought asylum in the US. The Serbian man was hoping to escape the beatings and harassment he faced in his home country. The man won asylum in December with Robertson's assistance.
Another pro bono case had far-reaching implications for Presbyterian ministers with same-sex partners. He represented a minister at risk of being stripped of her ministerial credentials for marrying her same-sex partner. Robertson tried the case in the Presbyterian Ecclesiastic court system and won. The case was appealed twice, but ultimately, Robertson prevailed in the highest judicial commission of the Presbyterian Church—the Church's "Supreme Court"—which made it legal for all Presbyterian ministers to marry their same-sex partners.
Robertson serves on the New York City Bar Association's LGBTQ Rights Committee and chaired the Art Leonard Award and Pride Reception for the City Bar. He serves on the Major Donor Committee for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in Greater New York. He previously co-chaired the Greater New York Steering Committee for HRC.
To reach its final list, Crain's New York consulted with trusted sources in the LGBTQ and general New York City business communities. All of its honorees were chosen for their career accomplishments as well as their broader community involvement.
