MIAMI – Dec. 9, 2019 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A. received the Florida Regional Litigation Department of the Year Award from The American Lawyer at the publication’s 2019 American Lawyer Industry Awards held on Dec. 4 in New York City.
The firm was also a finalist in Georgia and New Jersey for the competition that recognizes top regional litigation departments in California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The award recognizes firms for the impact their work has on clients and industries, as well as their creativity in dealing with high-stakes matters.
The American Lawyer noted that “from the Florida Supreme Court to the U.S. Supreme Court and at stops in between, Greenberg Traurig successfully argued matters ranging from constitutional challenges to class certifications and requirements for expert testimony.”
“This award is a testament to the talent and commitment that our Florida litigation team demonstrates every day for our clients,” said Matthew B. Gorson, senior chairman of Greenberg Traurig. “It’s especially an honor to be recognized by The American Lawyer for our work that has had an impact on the Florida region, where we were founded 52 years ago.”
Over the past year in Florida, Greenberg Traurig worked zealously as an advocate for public interest in a wide variety of capacities – from defending amendments on Florida ballots and the right to free speech, to providing access to justice. Members of the firm’s 112-member strong Florida litigation team also helped bolster the case for the need to use precise science in expert witness testimony in several high-profile cases, and set legal precedent that provides much-needed guidance to the state’s business community.
Often tapped by the top businesses in Florida to represent them in bet-the-company disputes, the GT team also secured a victory for a client with a statewide presence that faced significant financial exposure due to a class action suit.
“We are very proud to receive this recognition for the outstanding work and zealous advocacy that our litigators provide to clients both in Florida, across the country, and worldwide,” said Lori G. Cohen and Jeff E. Scott, co-chairs of the firm’s Global Litigation Practice. “Their dedication to clients is unparalleled in the legal industry and we are grateful that their high-caliber work and reputation in the region was recognized.”
Greenberg Traurig litigators led the way in advocating for Florida residents’ public interest in three key matters that strengthened their legal rights and access to justice. In Florida’s November 2018 election, Tallahassee Shareholder Barry Richard authored all of the amendment ballot summaries for voters, at the request of the state’s Constitutional Revision Commission. He successfully defended keeping Amendments 6 and 10 on the ballot at the Florida Supreme Court, resulting in Florida having new statutes that expand victims’ rights and allow voters more control over electing public officials.
Further serving Florida residents, Miami Shareholder Kerri L. Barsh achieved victory for a Palm Beach County petitioner when the Supreme Court of the United States vacated a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in a case with implications for how governments must protect citizens’ constitutional rights of free speech against retaliatory arrests.
Providing access to justice for a Florida resident who had been previously denied that right, Orlando Associate Beth A. Norrow represented pro bono client James Essie Butler in preparation for (and in) a new sentencing hearing that would determine if he would ever live life outside prison. He will, thanks to Greenberg Traurig lawyers.
The firm’s attorneys also advanced the need for using precise science in expert witness testimony in several matters. Tampa Managing Shareholder David B. Weinstein and his team successfully represented Mosaic Fertilizer at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which held that regulatory emissions standards are “unreliable predictors” of the dose at which exposures to emissions become harmful to human health.
Miami Shareholder David A. Coulson and his team used the detailed testimony of a veterinary toxicologist to show that compounds in question found within the company’s food were naturally occurring its representation of Champion Petfoods. This defeated the science of the defendant’s witness and now GT attorneys are taking the fight to 13 additional states on behalf of Champion.
Tampa Shareholder Richard C. McCrea Jr. and his team set new legal precedent in the representation of UPS regarding the Florida Private Whistleblower Act, § 448.101, et seq., in Leidy Villaman v. United Parcel Service, Inc. and UPS International General Services Co.
In GT’s representation of Loews Corporation, Coulson and his team ended the possibility of a putative class action that could have implicated tens of thousands of transactions at the company’s Florida hotels and cost the company millions of dollars.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Litigation Practice: Greenberg Traurig’s Litigation Practice includes a team of more than 600 attorneys. The firm’s trial lawyers regularly appear in state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as in appellate courts and before international arbitration panels. They work closely with in-house counsel to develop a strategy that best fits a litigation cost and proficiency model appropriate to the client’s unique needs and goals.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2100 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.