Biglaw

Greenberg Traurig Distances Itself From Rudy Giuliani

Giuliani obviously put the firm in a delicate situation, and the firm responded in the best way they could.

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Rudy Giuliani (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty)

Rudy Giuliani (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty)

What’s a Biglaw firm to do when a partner goes on television and announces his integral role in constructing a “Muslim ban”? Especially when the firm was not hired to work on the thorny legal issue, airport protests against the executive order from around the country have dominated the news, and said shareholder is going viral in less than flattering terms?

Distance yo’self.

That’s just what the good folks at Greenberg Traurig did over the weekend.

Sure, Rudy Giuliani may be on a leave of absence from the firm but that doesn’t mean the embarrassment doesn’t linger. And Rudy remains a shareholder at the firm, so when he appeared on Fox News proudly proclaiming that he was an essential part of making Trump’s immigration executive order see the light of day, well something had to be done.

The firm’s Executive Chairman, Richard Rosenbaum, acted quickly. On Sunday, he sent a firm wide email disavowing the firm’s involvement in the creation of the executive order. But more than that, he told of his own family’s history of immigration and closed with a quote from Malala Yousafzai, all of which gives it a much more authentic vibe than pure lawyerese.

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As a side note, one has to imagine, that separate and apart from the substance of the order, Rosenbaum has to be chagrined over the shoddy legal work on it. Important questions, such as the status of permanent residents, dual citizens, and previously approved refugees remain unclear and subject to misinformation.

While the firm doesn’t come right out and condemn the order, likely cautious to avoid alienating conservative employees or clients, it is still an important step for those that may think Giuliani is representative of all of Greenberg. Indeed, the firm CEO, Brian Duffy, followed up Rosenbaum’s email with one of his own, offering legal assistance for any firm employees (or their family members) affected by the order and noting the firm’s upcoming training with the International Refugee Assistance Project.

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the firm said:

Greenberg Traurig was not retained as to this Executive Order, and had no involvement in it. Last year, during the Presidential campaign, Mr. Giuliani, in his personal capacity as a volunteer for the campaign, along with other volunteer lawyers, made recommendations to now President Trump on this topic. He has advised that his involvement concluded at the end of the campaign.

Giuliani obviously put the firm in a delicate situation, and the firm responded in the best way they could.

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Across the next two pages you can read the full text of the emails sent by Rosenbaum and Duffy.

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