Greenberg Traurig Establishes San Francisco Office

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- International law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has announced the opening of its fifth California office in San Francisco. The new office's two managing shareholders share the firm's reputation for quality, collaboration and a focus on delivering value to clients.

Joining as managing shareholders are well-known business, intellectual property and employment litigation attorney Samuel B. Shepherd and internationally known litigator Kenneth Steinthal, who focuses on trying cases in the music and broader media industries. Shepherd was a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, LLP in its Silicon Valley office. Steinthal joins after practicing at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP since the beginning of his legal career in 1978, and where he was a partner since 1986 and co-chair of that firm's IP/Media Litigation group.

The office, which opened February 1, is expected to have 12 to 15 attorneys by month's end. It features more than 28,000 square feet of space at 153 Townsend Street.  

"We have met with many talented attorneys over the past year, looking for a fit that considered client needs as well as firm culture. We found that fit in Sam and Kenny. Their experience, not only in providing legal services across a multitude of industries, but also in building strong practices where collaboration and quality are core values, was key in assisting us with establishing this new important element of our presence in California," said Greenberg Traurig President Matt Gorson.

"As it has been with other Greenberg Traurig offices, the growth of the San Francisco office will be fueled by client needs and opportunities.  We expect this office will be of great value for clients in California as we build on the established strengths of our California team. The leadership abilities of our new managing shareholders and their collaborative nature are a great fit with our other leaders in the state and in our offices firm wide."

Greenberg Traurig established a presence in California with the opening of its Los Angeles office in 2000. The firm will now have more than 200 attorneys in California: in Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, and now San Francisco.  Most recently, the firm established an office in London where it operates as Greenberg Traurig Maher LLP.  

"San Francisco is a critical market for the global finance industry, as well as for the media, entertainment and technology industries.  It is a hub for film, music and evolving entertainment and new media platforms as well as sophisticated and emerging technologies," Steinthal said.  

Steinthal has extensive trial experience and a track record of success in litigating matters in the IP/media areas and across a wide spectrum of other industries and disciplines — in jury and bench trial settings, both in U.S. federal and state court, as well as before copyright tribunals in the U.S. and internationally (where he has received "rights of audience" to represent his clients), and before other arbitral bodies worldwide.

Steinthal speaks at copyright seminars and similar fora about music rights and copyright litigation issues and is a former adjunct professor of law at Fordham Law School.  He is admitted to practice in California, New York, and numerous federal district and appeals courts. He received his J.D. cum laude in 1978 from Fordham University and his B.A., cum laude, in 1974 from Williams College.

"Greenberg Traurig's growth by establishing offices based on local leadership, the support of its vast geographic team and deep experience across industries are attractive to me. The fact that Kenny is to be in on this opportunity from the beginning is exciting," said Shepherd, who works with a wide range of top California employers in the technology, health, aerospace, hospitality, waste and media industries.

Shepherd received his J.D. and M.B.A. in 1992 from the University of Chicago, where he was a University of Chicago Business Fellow. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1988 from Bowdoin College. Shepherd has been a trial advocacy instructor at Stanford Law School since 1999 and is a guest legal commentator for the Silicon Valley Business Network. He is a member of the American Bar Association Section on Employment and Litigation.

Also joining with Steinthal and Shepherd is John Pavolotsky as of counsel. He was previously corporate counsel at SugarCRM, the world's leading provider of open source customer relationship management (CRM) software. He is a graduate of the University of California at San Diego and the University of California at Davis Law School.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with approximately 1775 attorneys serving clients from more than 30 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. In the U.S., the firm has more offices than any other among the Top 20 on The National Law Journal's 2009 NLJ 250. In the U.K., the firm operates as Greenberg Traurig Maher LLP. Additionally, Greenberg Traurig has strategic alliances with the following independent law firms: Studio Santa Maria in Milan and Rome, TA Lawyers GKJ in Tokyo and Weber Law Office in Zurich. The firm was Chambers and Partners' USA Law Firm of the Year in 2007 and among the Top 3 in the International Law Firm of the Year at the 2009 The Lawyer Awards. For additional information, please visit www.gtlaw.com.

SOURCE Greenberg Traurig, LLP