The Legal 500

Within Corporate restructuring, tier 7

Greenberg Traurig LLP provides a ‘great service and high-level strategic thinking’ to a broad array of clients including lenders, bondholders and debtors. Co-chaired by New York-based Bruce Zirinsky – following his arrival in 2009 from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP – ‘extremely intelligent, capable, articulate and knowledgeable’ Miami-based Mark Bloom and ‘wonderful and supportive’ Chicago-based Keith Shapiro, the 95-attorney plus practice is one of the largest in the country and can handle mandates regardless of location. ‘Top-tier at advising mid-sized clients’, the group is praised for its ‘good business acumen, great out-of-the box thinking and service oriented advice’. As well as continuing to advise Satelites Mexicanos on its $378m restructuring, the group also recently acted for a substantial group of bondholders in the AbitibiBowater bankruptcy. Tapping into the firm’s corporate capabilities, the team has been handling a significant amount of distressed M&A, including representing Barclays Capital in the acquisition of Crescent Real Estate Equities and related entities. Miami-based Paul Keenan (‘under promises and over delivers’); Chicago-based Nancy Peterman (‘responsive and bright’); and Atlanta-based Michael Leveille (‘has great command of his subject and is very accessible’) are recommended.

Within Structured finance , tier 4

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s structured finance practice group’s ‘level of industry knowledge and technical expertise is excellent’. The firm advises in virtually every asset class in the mortgage, asset-backed, municipal and structured products markets. Members of the 40 strong group are spread widely around the US and overseas offices. In New York, group leader Mark Michigan has ‘extensive knowledge of structured products and does a top-notch job’, and Sylvie Durham’s ‘insights and ability to deploy the appropriate excellent resources of the firm are outstanding’. Dallas-centered Michael Thimmig, recommended for asset backed lending, ‘protects his client in a way that advances the transaction toward successful completion’. Chicago’s Nancy Schimmel led the representation of JPMorgan Chase Bank, as letter of credit issuer, in connection with $1.4bn aggregate structured letters of credit to support Timberland purchase notes. Group members have acted for Deutsche Bank, WestLB, Republic of Costa Rica, and Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi.

Within Copyright, tier 4

A full-service firm with strong international capabilities, Greenberg Traurig LLP’s copyright practice spans the full spectrum of technology, media and entertainment sectors, advising on litigation as well as registration and licensing issues. The national practice expanded further with the opening of a San Francisco office in 2010, with a new team that includes litigator Kenneth Steinthal from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. He advises media companies including ESPN, Netflix and Real Networks, and has particular strength in defending traditional and new-media content providers against lawsuits brought by music copyright owners. Former IP counsel at the Motion Picture Association of America, Joseph Geisman joined the firm in late 2010 and focuses on copyright issues. California-based Ian Ballon specialises in e-commerce and internet-related issues, and represented Yahoo! and Microsoft in a copyright infringement case regarding digital music, as well as advising clients such as Sony Pictures Entertainment and eBay. Ballon was also lead counsel to The McClatchy Company in Reed-Elsevier v Muchnick, an important case for copyright law regarding rights of freelance authors in relation to the digitization of unregistered works by database companies and publishers. In Atlanta, Bobby Rosenbloum advises on transactional matters, negotiating contracts and licensing issues for entertainment-industry interests, particularly in music, and also counsels on digital media issues.

Within Trademarks: litigation, Greenberg Traurig LLP is a third tier firm,

Primarily serving clients in the luxury goods, financial services and media sectors, Greenberg Traurig LLP’s sizeable team across the US handles the full spectrum of contentious trademark issues. In Los Angeles, the well-regarded Susan Heller advises on trademark litigation matters both domestically and internationally, particularly representing individuals in the entertainment field, as well as financial services companies. Representative clients include Barclays Global Investors and Exodus Entertainment. In the New York office, Roxanne Elings’ experience spans anti-counterfeiting, trade dress and domain name disputes, for apparel and fashion brand companies among others. James Donoian’s focus includes internet issues as well as representing consumer goods clients. The firm added Joseph Geisman in the Los Angeles office, who was formerly IP counsel at the Motion Picture Association of America.

Within Immigration, Greenberg Traurig LLP is a second tier firm,

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s full-service business immigration and compliance group represents businesses, organizations and individuals from around the world. ‘Service is consistently excellent and the team has in-depth knowledge and provides quick response time and superior customer service’. ‘This is a thoroughly professional and knowledgeable team that has consistently served my company and helped us achieve our immigration goals. I also use it to coordinate some outbound work as I have global responsibility for the immigration function and have been very satisfied with its global partners as well’. The group has extensive experience in advising multinational corporations on a variety of employment-related issues, particularly I-9 employment eligibility verification and Department of Labor H-1B audit matters. The business immigration and compliance practice group regularly develops immigration-related compliance strategies, programs and training as well as internal I-9 compliance reviews. The group also counsels on a variety of I-9 issues including penalties for failure to act in accordance with government regulations, anti-discrimination laws and employers’ responsibilities upon receiving social security number “no-match” letters. In addition, the group has successfully defended businesses involving large-scale government raids and audits. Clients include businesses across industries including national fast food chains, restaurants, landscape, construction, pallet manufacturing, agricultural, defense contractors, apparel, and pharmaceutical companies in both internal and government audits. Recent examples of work undertaken include the representation of TechServe Alliance against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and Homeland Security over the new H-1B rule applying to staffing firms. Laura Reiff is ‘professional, comprehensive and client oriented’. She is also ‘an expert on business immigration and the most knowledgeable partner on legislative activities that impact business goals and hiring & retaining foreign nationals in the US’. Dawn Lurie, Patricia Gannon and the ‘excellent’ Martha Schoonover are also all highly regarded.

Within Product liability and mass tort defense: consumer products (including tobacco), tier 4

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s consumer products practice serves as national and regional counsel to a number of clients from the telecoms and tobacco sectors. Employing the group’s deep bench of trial lawyers, the group has partaken of several high-profile cases. For example, it is representing Lorillard in the much-publicized litigation relating to the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), which placed advertising restrictions on tobacco companies. It also represents the same client in the Florida’s “Engle progeny” litigation – the thousands of individual follow-on cases arising from the original Engle class action filed in 1994 on behalf of injured and deceased smokers. Other mandates include representing TI and Sensata in a product liability case alleging that refrigerator components were defective. The group’s co-chairs are Francis Citera in Chicago and David Ross in Miami. Denver-based Brian Duffy heads the nationwide litigation department.

Within Product liability and mass tort defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices, Greenberg Traurig LLP is a third tier firm,

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare litigation group is led by ‘outstanding lawyer’ Lori Cohen, whose national practice focuses on product liability litigation. A significant factor in the practice’s reputation is its expertise in the medical devices sector, primarily through its work as a regular adviser to Medtronic. It is national counsel for the client in numerous federal and state court cases relating to the recall of certain of its implantable defibrillators involving over 2,800 plaintiffs’ claims that the batteries of certain models were defective. The firm also represented I-Flow Corporation as trial counsel in defending product liability lawsuits across the US relating to its elastomeric pain pump medical devices. It is also acting for Synthes and its subsidiary, Spine Solutions, in a pending case involving ProDisc artificial lumbar disc replacement device. In addition to Cohen, the practice’s other recommended individuals are Sara Thompson and Phoenix-based Pamela Overton, and Atlanta-based Victoria Lockhard, who recently joined from Alston & Bird LLP.

Within Product liability and mass tort defense: toxic tort, Greenberg Traurig LLP is a second tier firm,

Greenberg Traurig LLP has wide-ranging experience in complex environmental matters including MTBE and asbestos litigation. The firm acts as coordinating and lead trial counsel for Robert A Keasbey Co, an insulation contractor targeted by nearly 18,000 asbestos cases across the northeastern US. Other clients include Coronet industries and Mosaic; it represented the latter in a putative class action filed by commercial fishermen and others for economic damages allegedly resulting from the release of approximately 65m gallons of process water into Hillsborough Bay during Hurricane Frances. David Weinstein chairs the practice and is located in Tampa.

Within M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m), Greenberg Traurig LLP is a second tier firm,

Greenberg Traurig LLP advises public and privately held companies on M&A, corporate restructurings, private equity and venture capital, cross-border transactions and general corporate matters. The firm’s industry experience includes transactions in a wide range of fields, from the pharmaceutical, medical devices and life sciences fields, to representations involving clients in the aviation, banking, energy, health care, manufacturing, technology and telecommunications sectors. The M&A practice includes negotiated and contested M&A; sales and purchases of assets, subsidiaries and divisions; election contests and dissident shareholder proposals; tender and exchange offers; going-private transactions; MBOs; spin-offs; anti-takeover defenses and related transactional and M&A advisory engagements. The team’s experience includes serving as counsel to Liberty Acquisition Holdings Corporation in connection with its purchase of Promotora de Informaciones, the world’s leading Spanish and Portuguese-language media group, the $1.5bn reverse-acquisition being the third blank check transaction for Nicolas Berggruen and Martin Franklin, the founders of Liberty. The practice also represented Deutsche Bank Securities as financial advisor to Bucyrus in connection with Caterpillar’s and Bucyrus International’s announced agreement under which Caterpillar would acquire Bucyrus International in a transaction valued at approximately $8.6bn, including net debt. The team advised The Seminole Tribe of Florida and its subsidiary, Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, in the $1bn acquisition of Hard Rock International and other related entities from The Rank Group, marking the first purchase of any major international corporation by a Native American tribe. In New York, shareholder David Schwartzbaum advised CV Therapeutics in its $1.4bn acquisition by Gilead and response to an unsolicited takeover proposal and tender offer by Astellas. Schwartzbaum also acted for FTD Group in its $800m acquisition by United Online. Phoenix-based shareholder Bruce Macdonough has wide-ranging public company M&A experience, including acquisition programs for consolidators and growth companies, going private transactions, special committee assignments, tender offers, mergers and other change-in-control transactions. Macdonough’s clients include Brockway Moran & Partners, C/max, Directed Electronics, Roadrunner Transportation Systems and Suntron Corporation. Miami-based global corporate chair Gary Epstein is ‘a great operator’. Epstein represented RailAmerica in acquisitions and financings that have made it the largest short-line railroad in the world, and acted for Florida East Coast Industries in its $3.5bn merger agreement with Fortress Investment Group.

Within Construction (including construction litigation), tier 4

The 50-strong construction litigation practice at Greenberg Traurig LLP consists of lawyers in 17 offices across the US. Part of a full-service law firm, the team is well equipped to handle every aspect of the construction process, including governmental, taxation, labor and employment, project finance, environmental/regulatory, bankruptcy, intellectual property and real estate matters. It represents designers, developers, construction teams, consultants and commissioning professionals, and maintains a strong green building practice. Orlando-based Michael Hornreich and Jeffrey Walsh in Phoenix co-chair the construction litigation practice and are highly regarded by peers and clients alike. For transactional work, James Miller is recommended; his extensive background in technology has led him to handling instructions involving design and construction contracts and advising on project delivery techniques for owners and contractors. Work undertaken by the firm in 2010 included representing several homebuilders in dozens of lawsuits and pre-suit claims involving allegedly defective Chinese drywall. The firm serves as lead counsel for the Homebuilders’ Steering Committee and as an active member of the Defense Steering Committee, and has defended more than 50 homeowner lawsuits in state courts throughout Florida.

Within Land use/zoning , Greenberg Traurig LLP is a first tier firm,

While Greenberg Traurig LLP’s land use attorneys are situated across a number of states, its Florida offices have historically been most active in land use work, with the firm covering the state’s main centers of Tallahassee, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando and Palm Beach County. Co-chair of the national environmental and land development practice Debbie Orshefsky is based in the Fort Lauderdale office. Aside from its Florida focus, the firm also handles a significant amount of work elsewhere in the US; recent work includes representing Brownfield Partners on the redevelopment of a large copper smelting facility in Colorado formerly owned by Asarco, which filed for bankruptcy in 2007; the remediation and redevelopment agreement implemented by the client was the first of its kind with any of Asarco’s remediation trusts formed following its bankruptcy.

Within Real estate, Greenberg Traurig LLP is a second tier firm,

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s 24 offices across the US lend its real estate practice excellent geographical coverage. The firm’s capabilities include real estate finance, fund formation, REITs, sale and purchase transactions, commercial leasing and various types of commercial property development. The firm also has FDIC-related experience and closed many loan pools in 2010. The ‘terrific’ Robert Ivanhoe chairs the 170-member team, which advises on all facets of real estate work and was bolstered by the recent addition to its Chicago and Orange County teams of several attorneys from Mayer Brown. Ivanhoe led a multi-office team advising Dividend Capital Total Realty Trust on the complex $1.4bn acquisition of a 32-property portfolio from iStar Financial. Thomas Galli, David Bolen and Kenneth Sklar represented Colony Capital in a PPP with FDIC to acquire a controlling interest in a $1.85bn portfolio containing 1,700 loans secured by commercial real estate property located throughout 25 countries. Galli and Bolen also represented Square Mile Capital on another FDIC structured transaction. James Caserio and Corey Light, who provides an ‘excellent service’, acted for Kimco Realty Corporation and its joint venture partner BIG Shopping Centers to acquire 15 shopping centers for $422m. The firm represented commercial office property investor SL Green Realty Corporation on several key deals concerning prime assets in New York. These deals included the $193m acquisition of 600 Lexington Avenue and the property’s subsequent $125m refinancing; the acquisition of 125 Park Avenue for $330m; and the purchase of the senior debt on 510 Madison Avenue. Michael Fishman is also highly regarded.

Within Employee benefits and executive compensation, tier 5

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s benefits group’s ‘overall level of service has been excellent; the lawyers responded to my needs immediately, courteously and correctly’. Steven Lapides in Miami and Jeffrey Mamorsky in New York co-chair the practice, which is represented in several of the firm’s US offices. Recommended lawyers in Florida include Jeffrey Kahn, who ‘deals in the big picture and reduces problems to elemental answers – he is a superb rainmaker and produces expected results’, and Brandon Feingold, who ‘delves into the problem areas with a gusto and intelligence unmatched by any other ERISA tax lawyers’.

Within International, tier 4

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Mary Voce chairs the firm’s international tax group from New York, which houses several highly recommended attorneys practising in cross-border work. Seth Entin is ‘an excellent tax attorney who provides very precise, business-oriented advice’, and Ozzie Schindler ‘gives advice a business-person can use, and is obsessed with responsiveness’. The firm, which handles instructions in co-operation with other offices in the domestic network, and branches in Europe and Asia, has ‘a unique knowledge of the Latin American region’.

Within Tax controversy, tier 4

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s tax audits & litigation practice is chaired by the ‘highly skilled and persuasive’ Barbara Kaplan from the New York office. The group includes some highly experienced, ex-IRS litigators who are particularly experienced in pursuing tax refund claims in federal district court. The experienced Thomas Sykes joined the Chicago office from McDermott Will & Emery LLP in May 2010. Recommended attorneys include New York’s David Bunning, who has ‘a very clear mind and is able to present complex tax matters in a simple and understandable manner’; and Phillip Pillar, who works from Washington DC and Philadelphia, ‘very good with tax controversy and has a very strong overall tax technical knowledge’ and recently represented a major insurance company group in IRS appeals regarding a multi-issue, multimillion-dollar refund claim.