200 Park Avenue MetLife Building New York, NY Phone: (212)

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1 200 Park Avenue MetLife Building New York, NY Phone: (212) locations Albany, NY Atlanta, GA Austin, TX Boca Raton, FL Boston, MA Chicago, IL Dallas, TX Denver, CO Fort Lauderdale, FL Houston, TX Las Vegas, NV Los Angeles, CA Miami, FL Morristown, NJ New York City, NY Orange County, CA Orlando, FL Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Sacramento, CA San Francisco, CA Silicon Valley, CA Tallahassee, FL Tampa, FL Tysons Corner, VA Washington, DC West Palm Beach, FL White Plains, NY Wilmington, DE Amsterdam London Mexico City Shanghai Tel Aviv Warsaw THE STATS. of Attorneys: 1,689. of Offices: 35 CEO: Richard A. Rosenbaum Hiring Partner(s): Visit for the appropriate recruiting/employment contacts in each office. EMPLOYMENT CONTACT Janet McKeegan Director of Recruitment Phone: (305) Careers website: Visit for the appropriate recruiting/ employment contacts in each office. Additionally, the firm has a strategic alliance with the independent law firm, Studio Santa Maria in Milan and Rome. MAJOR DEPARTMENTS & PRACTICES Antirust Appellate Bankruptcy Business Immigration & Compliance Corporate Energy Entertainment Environmental Global Trade & Investment Government Affairs Health & FDA Business Intellectual Property International/Global Labor & Employment Litigation Real Estate Tax Technology Trusts & Estates For more information, please visit 250

2 Who s Who Does the firm have one or more pro bono coordinators and/or partners? If so, how many? 2 For each of your pro bono coordinators and/or partners, please specify how much of his/her time is spent on pro bono work and/ or administering the firm s pro bono program. Pro Bono Coordinator/Partner 1 Less than half of his/her time Pro Bono Coordinator/Partner 2 Less than half of his/her time Please provide the primary pro bono contact(s) s information below. Holly Skolnick Shareholder Phone: (305) skolnickh@gtlaw.com William Silverman Shareholder Phone: (212) silvermanw@gtlaw.com Does the firm have a pro bono committee? How often does the committee meet? As needed Please describe the composition of the committee. The team is comprised of shareholders THE SCOOP Does your firm have a written pro bono policy? Can associates bring pro bono matters of interest to the firm? How does the firm decide whether to take on a pro bono matter? The firm has a variety of existing relationships with organizations that offer pro bono opportunities for our attorneys. The firm evaluates each new opportunity and decides what to pursue on a case by case basis. Has the firm signed on to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge? What are some of the areas of law in which your firm has performed pro bono legal work since 2010? Arts and historic preservation, Asylum, Bankruptcy, Civil rights, Community economic development, Consumer law and small claims court, Death penalty defense, Disability benefits, Domestic violence, Education, Elder law, Employment, Environment, Fair housing/tenants rights, Family law, First Amendment and constitutional issues, HIV/AIDS advocacy, Homeless advocacy, Human Trafficking, Immigration, International human rights, Juvenile justice reform/children s rights, LGBT rights, Medical/Health, nprofit corporate law, nprofit incorporation/tax exemptions, nprofit intellectual property, Prisoners rights, Probate law, Public benefits, Real estate transactions, Social Security law, Veterans benefits/ appeals Are there areas of law in which, as a matter of policy or practice, your firm does not perform pro bono work? List up to 10 of your firm s pro bono clients or partners since 2010, including legal service providers or clearinghouses. Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County RADD (Recording Artists Against Drunk Driving) Downtown Works (Los Angeles) LEAP Foundation Western Center on Law and Poverty Freedom Writers Foundation Myles of Smiles inmotion Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program Partners for Women in Justice List up to three representative examples of your firm s pro bono matters since Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. Working closely with Public Counsel, GT represented a 17-year-old boy who had been living alone in squalor in Guatemala City since the age of 13 and who traveled alone to Los Angeles, where he now faces deportation. Securing guardianship for the client was the first step in awarding the client Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, which will allow him to remain in the country for the time being. On June 18, we argued the matter, and the Los Angeles Superior Court granted that guardianship. The case was complicated by various issued raised by the probate investigator, which is why Public Counsel sought outside counsel to assist. According to Public Counsel, this was one of the most complicated guardianship cases with which they had dealt. Visit for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 251

3 GT not only secured the guardianship and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status findings, but also was able to convince the client to participate in a live-in program at Casa Libre, a nonprofit home in his community that provides food, clothing, tutoring, English language programs, extracurricular activities and a focus on academic achievement and avenues toward success in the United States. Also in California, The VALOR Guide project, undertaken in partnership with Loyola Law School, developed a comprehensive guide to all pro bono legal services in California, and published 6 VALOR Guides containing hundreds of entries and covering the entire state in six regions, including: rthern California; Central California; Los Angeles; Orange; San Bernardino and Riverside; San Diego. To our knowledge, this is the first and only such project of this scope in California. We have provided copies to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and numerous state and local agencies. New York City Family Court Greenberg Traurig s New York office, along with a major financial institution client and in collaboration with the New York City Family Court and five other law firms, spearheaded a pro bono effort to provide advice and counsel to unrepresented litigants through 30-minute one-on-one sessions on various family law topics. Since its inception in vember 2006, 34 major firms and corporations now participate in this project. Thus far, the initiative has helped approximately 12,000 families. This project started in Brooklyn and has moved to Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. In partnership with Pro Bono Net, GT is now spearheading the project s expansion to Staten Island (and beyond New York City) through the use of computer technology. Additionally in New York, Greenberg Traurig serves as counsel to the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition; has hosted scores of meetings and events on the subject; and recently brought a federal lawsuit on behalf of a trafficking victim against her traffickers. In addition, the firm funds and works closely with an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the New York City Bar Association who provides legal services to victims of human trafficking. GT partnered with the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, and represented a Vietnam veteran in an appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims from the denial of his petition for service related health benefits. Our client had been denied benefits for a heart ailment on the basis that the veteran had not proven that his heart ailment was connected to his service. We discovered that while her client s case had been pending before the Board of Veterans Appeals, the Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) had announced a decision to establish a presumptive service connection for coronary artery disease associated with exposures to herbicides used in Vietnam. We convinced the VA to consent to remand the case so that VA could reconsider her client s claim. The Court approved the remand in May 2011, and in August 2011 the Board of Veterans Appeals found that her client s heart disease was connected to his exposure to herbicides in Vietnam and awarded him monthly benefits going forward and retroactive benefits dating back to the date that he first filed his claim. One of our attorneys also assisted the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program by laying the groundwork for GT s Miami Office to host a pro bono training seminar in April of List up to three pro bono matters that are highlights (e.g., a Supreme Court case). Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. Harbatkin v. NYC Dep t of Records and Information Services currently before the U.S. Supreme Court on a petition for writ of certiorari to the NY Court of Appeals. The case arises from a NYC-based writer and researcher s attempts to gain public access to records of the NYC Board of Education s anti-communist files, created during the McCarthy Era investigations into NYC school teachers suspected of having Communist Party affiliations. Our client s parents were targeted by the investigation. Her father relinquished his teaching license rather than be subjected to interrogation by the Board of Education. Her mother was interrogated and required to disclaim all connection or sympathy with the Communist Party to keep her license. Our client was denied full and unrestricted access to the City s records under NY s Freedom of Information Law. We handled the case from its inception in NY County Supreme Court, through the Appellate Division, First Department and NY Court of Appeals. The cert. petition seeks review of whether the City has impermissibly imposed conditions on the exercise of First Amendment rights by requiring that researchers who access the records not reproduce the names of informants or other targets of the investigations. Last week, the Supreme Court requested a response to our petition from the City an action that we are informed shows that the Court is truly interested in the case. In an access to education matter with nationwide significance, GT represents COPAA on an amicus brief before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals (M.H. and E.K., Individually and Collectively on behalf of P.H. v. New York New York City Dep t of Educ., Case cv). COPAA is a national non-profit organization that battles to secure appropriate educational services for children with disabilities. The core issue in this case was whether, pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEIA), the District Court applied the proper standard of review in the consideration of the administrative decisions of the New York State Review Officer (SRO). We argue on behalf of COPAA that the standard of review applied by federal courts in cases brought under the IDEIA has been found to be case dispositive for parents of children with disabilities seeking services. We also argue that the correct standard of review of the decision of the SRO is a modified de novo review in which legal conclusions of administrative decisions and mixed questions of law and fact are reviewed de novo and the SRO s decision must be supported by the facts in the record. The Second Circuit decision is pending. The outcome could affect thousands of children. This issue is important to New York State in particular because New York accounted for approximately 25% of the total adjudicated special education hearings nationwide from 2008 through The attorney handling this matter also represents COPAA in a companion case to M.H., which addressed the same legal issue, and was briefed in 2010 (M.S. and L.S., individually and collectively and on behalf of D.S. v. New York City Dep t of Educ., Case cv). 252

4 We have attorneys working on a Section 1983 civil right case at the request of New Jersey s former Chief Judge, in a case that might present a novel question of law relating to the interplay between New Jersey law concerning medical malpractice claims and federal civil rights causes of action. SuPERVISION AND EVALUATIONS Is there partner supervision on all pro bono matters? Do partner supervisors or, if applicable, senior associates provide written evaluations of associates work on pro bono matters? Are those evaluations taken into account in determining salary or bonuses?, they are taken into account when determining salary, they are taken into account when determining bonuses Are those evaluations taken into account in determining advancement within the firm? Is there a pro bono requirement at your firm? Does the firm give billable hour credit for pro bono work? Does the firm have a maximum number of pro bono hours that can be applied toward the billable hour target? What is the maximum number of pro bono hours that can be applied toward the billable hour target? Does the firm consider pro bono hours when determining bonuses? PRO BONO POINTS What training opportunities are open to associates working on pro bono matters? Greenberg Traurig works closely with its pro bono organization partners to provide training on all of our pro bono projects. Some examples are listed below: For the Independent Living Review (ILR) Project, Greenberg Traurig attorneys and paralegals across a number of different practice areas in Palm Beach County receive training to represent area youths in foster care who are aging out of the system. Greenberg Traurig helps these foster care youths navigate the road to legal and financial independence. The Houston office has an ongoing relationship with the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program which includes regular training opportunities for attorneys who want to take on pro bono matters. Through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, attorneys volunteer their time to provide legal services in civil matters for Houston s needy citizens. This program helps those who cannot get help through other legal aid programs and is based on income eligibility. Attorneys in Greenberg Traurig s Philadelphia office who participate in the Pennsylvania Innocence Project receive training. The primary mission of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project is to secure the exoneration, release from imprisonment, and restoration to society of persons who are innocent and have been wrongly convicted. Greenberg Traurig trains attorneys participating in the New York Family Court Project to act as advisors to indigent families who are in need of assistance in Family Court. In certain cases, we represent families in need of ongoing representation in their Family Court matters. In other cases, our attorneys do not represent these families, but provide them with substantive and procedural assistance in navigating the Family Court system and process, as well as helping them prepare their own petitions. We accomplish this through a program that we spearhead, with participation from several other firms. For the Miami Public Defenders project, Greenberg Traurig attorneys receive training in criminal law and procedure as well as trial practice. Associates have opportunities to conduct jury trials in misdemeanor cases. Greenberg Traurig devotes time and effort assisting human trafficking victims. In the firm s Houston office, attorneys who handle T-Visa cases receive training to represent victims of human trafficking through Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Does the firm offer the use of support staff in handling pro bono matters? Please provide any additional information about pro bono opportunities available to summer associates. In many of our offices our summer associates engage in pro bono projects in a variety of areas involving political asylum, domestic violence, family court, and the Anti-Defamation League. In New York, our summer associates worked with inmotion. Greenberg Traurig collaborates with inmotion to provide substantive and procedural training for attorneys so that they may represent low-income women, often survivors of domestic violence, who are in need of legal services, including divorce, family court matters, immigration, and wills/other advance directives. Visit for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 253

5 Does the firm have established programs, such as externships, that enable its associates to work in a public interest setting? What other law-related public interest and community service programs (that are not pro bono as defined by the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge) do you offer and manage? For example, list any law school collaborations and public interest scholarships, auctions at law schools, monetary support, or fellowships. Greenberg Traurig devotes significant resources to the Greenberg Traurig Fellowship Foundation. The Foundation, established in 1996, is a private organization established by the firm to provide public interest organizations with the services of an attorney through a fellowship program. Originally, the Foundation selected one fellowship recipient for a period of two years. Due to an immensely successful run since its inception, the foundation has expanded its reach and in 2010 there were 20 fellows working throughout our various national locations. The Foundation has grown by partnering with Equal Justice Works. Through the Foundation, Greenberg Traurig serves as the largest sponsor of Equal Justice Works Fellowships in the United States and has invested more than $5.4 million to support, in whole or in part, almost 100 Equal Justice Works Fellows since These fellows, graduates of 46 law schools, have served 38 cities across the United States. They have delivered critically needed legal services at more than 70 nonprofit host organizations, working on 26 issue areas ranging from community development and disability rights to domestic violence and immigrant populations. In addition to supporting the fellows financially, the firm maintains an active relationship with these attorneys and many Greenberg Traurig lawyers perform pro bono work referred though these fellowships. The firm has also formed the Greenberg Traurig Fellowship at the Center for Ethics and Public Service at the University of Miami School of Law and has awarded undergraduate fellowships to students involved in community economic development in distressed communities. Additionally, Great Minds Great Hearts is the corporate philanthropy program of Greenberg Traurig s Denver office. The program was designed in 2010 to help celebrate the firm s 10th anniversary doing business in Denver. The Great Minds Great Hearts program extends the rich history of community investment for which Greenberg Traurig is known by establishing five significant $10,000 grants to nonprofit organizations in the areas of arts, diversity, education, leadership and people in need. In addition to these core grants, Greenberg Traurig offers other financial, in-kind and volunteer support throughout the community. What non-law related volunteer opportunities does your firm offer? For example, list any work with high school students and non-legal volunteerism for organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Greenberg Traurig provides a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for its attorneys and staff. A sampling includes: The Greenberg Traurig Houston office participates in a variety of volunteer opportunities including Houston Bar Association s Coat and Warm Clothing Drive, Habitat for Humanity, raising money to sponsor runners for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Fun Run, and collecting books for literacy programs as well as supplies for homeless shelters. The office has taken an active role in volunteering with youth through programs such as Aspiring Youth of Houston Take A Student To your Employment TASTE, where attorneys and staff mentored at-risk youth at a luncheon. They also partnered with Yellowstone Academy, where they read books in classrooms and had a fundraiser for the academy, which works with indigent, inner-city children. In Chicago, Greenberg Traurig sponsored the Anti- Defamation League s 2010 First Amendment Freedom Award Dinner. Greenberg Traurig attorneys and staff were able to volunteer in judging the essays that were submitted in a student essay contest on the importance of the First Amendment in everyday life. Greenberg Traurig s Boston office participated in Massachusetts first annual Legal Food Frenzy, a twoweek long friendly competition among members of the Massachusetts legal community designed to raise food and funds for the Greater Boston Food Bank. The office s efforts resulted in an equivalent collection of 58,919 pounds of food, the most raised by any competitor. To fundraise, Greenberg Traurig s created 10 teams of attorneys and staff which put together bake sales, a poker tournament, a potluck lunch and a raffle for prizes donated by Greenberg Traurig employees. Every year the Palm Beach County offices participate in a community service day project. In 2010, the community project was at the Boca Raton campus of The Children s Place at Home Safe, which provides a home for boys who were removed from their families because of abuse or neglect. Greenberg Traurig s attorneys and staff dramatically improved the home with beautiful new landscaping, new picnic tables and some fresh paint, and also gave a variety of personal gifts to the boys. Many of the boys assisted the Greenberg Traurig team in the project. The Tysons Corner and Washington, DC offices participated in the Virginia Bar Association s Fourth Annual Legal Food Frenzy, a two-week long friendly competition among the Virginia and DC legal communities designed to raise food and funds for Virginia s food banks during a traditionally slow period for donations. The heavy boxes and cans of food contributed combined with the $20,000 that attorneys and staff from both offices raised totaled 105,000 pounds of food for Virginia s food banks. The business staff of the Denver office took action to support The Delores Project, a local organization that provides safe, comfortable overnight shelter for homeless women, as well as access to the resources they need to rebuild their lives. As Denver s population of unaccompanied homeless women greatly exceeds the space available to them in city shelters, these individuals depend on organizations such as The Delores Project for their very survival, especially during the bitterly cold winter months. In 2010, Greenberg Traurig purchased four meals, one per quarter, for 60 to 70 women 254

6 in need of assistance at the Dolores Project. Business staff arrived early to prepare and serve meals, and sat and visited with the women during the meal. After the meal was over, all the volunteers stayed to clean up. The New York office participates in a community service day each summer where attorneys and staff engage in projects such as park cleanup, children s literacy and science programs, and volunteering in senior centers. In 2010, attorneys and staff in the New York office partnered with the Riverside Park Fund for a day of community service to clean-up and green-up Riverside Park on Manhattan s Upper West Side. The New York office also holds a toy drive each holiday season for underprivileged children. Several women in Greenberg Traurig s Atlanta office are members of the Junior League of Atlanta (JLA). The JLA is a 501(c)(3) organization of nearly 4,000 women in Atlanta of committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The JLA asks each active member to provide at least 50 hours of community service to various community organizations, such as The American Red Cross and Grady Hospital. Current focus areas of the JLA are early childhood education and eradicating commercial sexual exploitation of children. The JLA provides a variety of training opportunities, including courses on leadership, personal branding, volunteerism, and financial responsibility. In July 2010, Greenberg Traurig s Phoenix office participated in a community service event at UMOM New Day Centers, Arizona s largest family homeless shelter. Greenberg Traurig attorneys and staff volunteered at UMOM s Read to Me Back to School Block Party, a day of games, reading, and fun activities for the UMOM community to celebrate the importance of staying in school. With the help of staff and attorney volunteers, the Los Angeles office s Community Action Team (CAT) raised money and supplies which were given to the pre-designated charities. Over the year, CAT members collected art and school supplies for CoachArt and sent books and perishables to the Books for Soldiers organization. The team also raised money for the Diana P. Scott Foundation Fund at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law which provides scholarships for students. In the future this group will also be organizing off-site volunteer opportunities. Please list any special recognition or awards your firm has won since 2010 for its pro bono work. Greenberg Traurig was honored with the inaugural Public Interest Service Award from St. John s University School of Law in recognition for its outstanding commitment to providing pro bono legal services. Greenberg Traurig received the 2010 Pro Bono Law Firm Award from the Political Asylum/Immigration Project (PAIR), in recognition of the firm s sponsorship of a legal fellowship at PAIR for the last two years. Greenberg Traurig s Houston office received the 2010 award for mid-size firm champion. The awards were given to firms and corporations that pledged to give 5 years of service to the representation of cases, based on the size of the firm and the number of attorneys. The goal is to provide pro bono representation to at least 1,500 cases through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. Please add any additional information about your firm s pro bono program. Greenberg Traurig is committed to supporting communities around the country by providing volunteer talent and financial contributions to numerous civic and charitable organizations in addition to the ongoing and significant pro bono work conducted by our attorneys. Each of the firm s approximately 1800 attorneys engage in pro bono work individually, through an organized legal aid program and/or by making a financial contribution to the Greenberg Traurig Fellowship Foundation and other legal aid organizations. Consistent with our firm s culture, the firm encourages, supports, and provides resources for lawyers to pursue public interest work about which they are passionate. These activities typically fall into three categories: 1) Civic Community: Our lawyers routinely give back to the community by providing legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to organizations dedicated to assisting them. We also provide legal services to charitable organizations, whether civic, educational, religious, or cultural, and individuals and groups who are seeking to promote civil and human rights. 2) Corporate Client Partnerships: The client roster of a large law firm presents numerous opportunities to pursue partnerships with corporate clients to come up with creative ways to assist the disadvantaged. We encourage our lawyers to pursue these partnerships. 3) Legal Community: Additionally, our lawyers are often called upon by the legal community to weigh in on various highprofile, precedent-setting legal issues (e.g., domestic violence and criminal sentencing). In addition to Greenberg Traurig lawyers, the firm recognizes that there are lawyers out there who may have a passion for public interest, but may not have the resources to participate. Greenberg Traurig is the largest provider of money for such fellows around the country. (See the description of our Fellowship Foundation in conjunction with Equal Justice Works, elsewhere in this survey). The press release below demonstrates GT s holistic approach to pro bono across offices and disciplines: Greenberg Traurig Celebrates National Pro Bono Week New York (October 22, 2012) International law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP marks the American Bar Association s (ABA) National Pro Bono Visit for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 255

7 Week 2012 (Oct ) with a full schedule of events. National Pro Bono Week is a nation-wide event that focuses attention on the increased need for pro bono services during challenging economic times and celebrates the outstanding work of lawyers who volunteer their legal services. We welcome this week-long celebration of pro bono services. In our current economic climate, lawyers cannot neglect their duty to their communities, said Holly R. Skolnick, head of the firm s pro bono program. The private sector must partner with social service organizations, engage its attorneys and staff, and work together to make a difference for those who cannot afford legal services. Greenberg Traurig lawyers across the firm s offices provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to numerous civic and charitable organizations dedicated to assisting them. The firm has ongoing partnerships with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, inmotion (Network for Women s Services), Children and Family Justice Center, Just Neighbors Immigrant Ministry, Center for Community Change, University of Miami School of Law s Children and Youth Law Clinic, Legal Counsel for the Elderly, DC Employment Justice Center, ABA Death Penalty Representation Project and the Archdiocesan Legal Network. Greenberg Traurig s Pro Bono Program focuses its resources on specialized and interrelated issues including: Civil rights Anti-human trafficking Family law matters Criminal appeals Immigration and political asylum Housing and homelessness Healthcare Additionally, Greenberg Traurig has a long-standing relationship with Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing opportunities for law students and lawyers to deliver effective legal representation to underserved communities and causes. Since 1999, Greenberg Traurig has sponsored nearly 100 Equal Justice Works Fellows in 38 cities across the country. The Fellows have worked in 26 different issue areas from domestic violence and disability rights to economic development, welfare reform, health care and immigration law. In conjunction with the firm s wider pro bono program, the partnership enables Greenberg Traurig to make a tremendous impact in communities around the country. About is an international, full-service law firm with approximately 1750 attorneys serving clients from 35 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In the U.S., the firm has more offices than any other among the Top 10 on The National Law Journal s 2012 NLJ 250. For additional information, please visit For more information about National Pro Bono Week, please visit 256