Greenberg Traurig

Greenberg Traurig
Name	Greenberg Traurig
Founded	1967
Founders	Alan D. Greenberg; Robert Traurig
Headquarters	Miami
Num offices	40
Num attorneys	2300
Practice areas	Corporate law; Real estate; Litigation; Intellectual property; Regulatory

Greenberg Traurig is a multinational law firm founded in 1967 with headquarters in Miami. The firm provides corporate, transactional, and litigation services to clients across sectors including finance, technology, healthcare, real estate, and entertainment. With a presence in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, the firm competes with global firms such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Latham & Watkins, Jones Day, Kirkland & Ellis, and White & Case.

History

Founded in 1967 by founders Alan D. Greenberg and Robert Traurig, the firm expanded from a regional practice in Florida into a multinational platform. Early growth intersected with developments involving clients in Bank of America, AT&T, Merrill Lynch, and regional developers tied to projects like Biscayne Bay and South Beach revitalization. During the 1980s and 1990s the firm opened offices in markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., following national trends exemplified by firms like Sullivan & Cromwell and Debevoise & Plimpton. Strategic acquisitions and lateral partner moves mirrored patterns seen at DLA Piper and Baker McKenzie, contributing to growth into Latin American markets and linking work with entities including Grupo Bimbo, Telefónica, and PDVSA. The firm navigated regulatory changes tied to statutes like the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and transactions involving landmark deals comparable to those handled by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Practice areas and services

The firm offers services in corporate transactional work, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private equity, and venture capital comparable to practices at Blackstone and KKR. Its real estate practice handles development, finance, and REIT matters similar to engagements with CBRE and JPMorgan Chase. Litigation and dispute resolution teams litigate matters before state and federal courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and arbitral forums such as the International Chamber of Commerce and London Court of International Arbitration. The firm provides intellectual property counseling and patent litigation involving clients in sectors related to Apple Inc., Microsoft, Intel, and Samsung technologies. Regulatory, compliance, and government affairs services engage with agencies and entities like the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and ministries across Spain, United Kingdom, and Brazil.

Offices and global presence

Greenberg Traurig maintains offices across major financial and commercial centers including New York City, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris, Tel Aviv, Dubai, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Tokyo, and multiple cities in the United States such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco. The firm’s footprint enables cross-border work alongside global institutions including European Central Bank, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and multinational corporates like Coca-Cola Company and Toyota Motor Corporation. Regional desks often coordinate with local law firms and regulators in jurisdictions such as Panama, Peru, Colombia, and India.

Notable cases and clients

The firm has represented financial institutions, corporations, and sovereign entities in transactions and disputes involving parties such as Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Chevron Corporation, and entertainment companies like Warner Bros. and Netflix. Significant matters include cross-border M&A, securities offerings, and litigation before appellate courts including the Supreme Court of the United States in matters comparable to high-profile filings by firms such as Gibson Dunn. The firm’s work in real estate and development connected it to large-scale projects similar to those financed by BlackRock and CBRE Global Investors. Arbitration matters have engaged institutions including the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Leadership and organization

The firm is governed by an executive committee and chaired by a global chairman and CEO, with regional heads overseeing Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia practices. Leadership structures and succession planning mirror governance models used at firms like Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. The firm emphasizes practice group leadership across sectors such as corporate, litigation, real estate, intellectual property, tax, and regulatory affairs, coordinating with partners who previously held roles at institutions including Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, Yale Law School, and top corporate legal departments at Microsoft and IBM.

Awards, rankings, and controversies

The firm has received rankings and awards from industry publications and directories including Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, and The American Lawyer for categories like real estate, corporate, and litigation. Rankings place it among global firms compared to Dentons and Clifford Chance in various league tables. The firm has also faced controversies related to lobbying, compliance, and representations of politically sensitive clients—issues that have attracted scrutiny akin to matters involving firms such as Ropes & Gray and Squire Patton Boggs—and has addressed such matters through internal compliance reviews and cooperation with authorities including the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Category:Law firms