Obituary

Family, friends mourn the loss of Allan Brenner

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Family, friends, professional colleagues and clients are mourning the loss of Allan Laurence Brenner, a lawyer and Long Beach resident who died on Jan. 2 from a “rare and unrelenting form of cancer” that took him too soon.

Born in the Bronx on May 26, 1954, to Malcolm Brenner and Marsha Linit, Allan graduated high school from the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in Riverdale, N.Y. and later went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree from Clark University and a juris doctorate from Hofstra Law School.

Allan was born to be a trial lawyer — he began his legal career in New York at The Legal Aid Society in the criminal defense practice. After very quickly earning a reputation as a powerful voice for the indigent, Allan spent the next 35 years perfecting the art and skill of courtroom advocacy.

The courtroom was Allan’s most comfortable place. Anyone who watched him knew they were in the presence of a uniquely gifted advocate. He argued legal issues brilliantly, was a natural and compelling cross-examiner and was a tremendously engaging storyteller. He was successful in defending many clients in cases ranging from homicides to complex federal matters.

Recently, in truly apt commentary, Newsweek described Allan as an attorney who “veers dramatically from injury to outrage, exasperated by everything but cowed by nothing.”

Allan was a great writer and a persuasive speaker outside the courtroom as well. His vocabulary was massive and he had a real knack for deploying words. Anyone who ever talked politics or sports with Allan knew that they were part of a conversation with a man in full command of both logic and the English language. Those who followed his political writings had special insight into his linguistic gifts.

Allan coached baseball and softball in Long Beach for more than 10 years.

Coaching gave Allan a privilege and a joy that was different from any other aspect of his life. “His girls,” as he fondly remembered his daughter Rachel’s many teammates over the years, continued to hold a special place in his heart.

Allan was also an avid tennis player, a photographer, and he loved music.

Allan will be universally remembered for his incredible intelligence, his dark humor and his big heart. Allan never allowed the cancer to get in his way and he was as fearless as ever in the end. Quite literally, Allan worked until he could not work anymore, as he fought until he could not fight anymore. Family and friends said they “will miss him more than we can put into words.”