South Florida Gay News - December 21, 2018

Retired Judge Rand Hoch was recently named a Top Lawyer by Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles.
“It is humbling to have been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who for my work as an attorney,” Hoch said.  “I am particularly honored to know that they value the pro bono legal work I have done for Florida’s  LGBTQ community for more than three decades.”
Hoch is a well-known LGBT rights advocate in Palm Beach County and is also the president and founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. 
“An accomplished listee, Judge Hoch celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field," a press release from Marquis stated. “As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.”
The rest of the press release details Hoch’s accomplishments. 
In 1992, Florida Governor Lawton Chiles appointed Mr. Hoch to serve  as a Judge of Compensation Claim. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Hoch practiced labor, workers' compensation and election law at the Law Office of Gerald A. Rosenthal from 1989 to 1991 and at Kaplan, Sicking and Bloom from 1985 to 1988. Mr. Hoch also served as a research assistant for professor Ruth Fleet Thurman at Stetson University College of Law from 1983 to 1985. Following his tenure on the bench, Judge Hoch formed the Law and Mediation Offices of Rand Hoch, where he continues to work as a private mediator helping parties resolve workplace disputes. 
Prior to his career in law, Mr. Hoch served as a real estate broker in Florida and as a political consultant in Washington, DC, Massachusetts and Florida. While in undergraduate school at Georgetown University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in American Government, he served as the research director for the Council of Active Independent Oil and Gas Producers from 1996 to 1997 and as national volunteer coordinator for the Henry M. Jackson for President Committee from 1974 to 1976. 
In 1988, Mr. Hoch founded the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a local independent advocacy organization for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. He served as President from 1988 to 1992 and from 2001 to the present. In that capacity, Judge Hoch was instrumental in the enactment of more than 130 laws and policies providing equal rights, protections and benefits for the LGBT community in Florida. 
Throughout his career, Judge Hoch has been recognized for his contributions. The recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award from Palm Beach State College, he has also received an Inaugural Diversity Honors Award from the Harvey Milk Foundation. South Florida Gay News named him among their Out 50, and Florida Agenda named him one of Florida's Top 100 LGBT Movers and Shakers. Judge Hoch has been featured in numerous honors publications, including multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in American Politics, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America.