via
Getty)
We
have
some
incredibly
unfortunate
news
to
report
out
of
Florida,
where
one
of
the
founding
partners
of
Am
Law
100
firm
Greenberg
Traurig
recently
passed
away.
More
than
50
years
ago,
Larry
Hoffman,
95,
and
attorneys
Mel
Greenberg
and
Robert
Traurig
were
inspired
over
a
deli
lunch
to
create
a
new
firm,
and
in
1967,
the
trio
founded
Greenberg
Traurig
Hoffman.
After
serving
as
founding
chairman
and
CEO,
Hoffman
decided
to
remove
his
surname
from
the
firm’s
name.
Senior
chairman
Cesar
L.
Alvarez,
one
of
Hoffman’s
mentees,
notes
in
the
American
Lawyer
that
it
was
because
Hoffman
was
“[n]onegotistical
with
the
firm’s
best
interest
at
heart.”
Hoffman,
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Miami
School
of
Law,
oversaw
the
firm’s
expansion
from
Florida
to
major
markets
across
the
East
Coast,
from
New
York
to
Washington,
D.C.
Under
his
leadership
and
as
the
“architect
of
the
blueprint
for
growth,”
Greenberg
Traurig
—
currently
ranked
at
No.
16
on
the
Am
Law
100
—
became
one
of
the
fastest-growing
Biglaw
firms.
Thanks
to
Hoffman’s
vision,
the
firm
has
expanded
globally,
with
more
than
2,850
lawyers
spread
across
49
offices
on
four
continents.
Here’s
what
Greenberg
Traurig
leaders
Brian
Duffy,
CEO,
and
Richard
A.
Rosenbaum,
executive
chairman,
had
to
say
of
Hoffman:
“Larry
was
an
incredible
businessman
and
an
even
better
partner
and
friend,”
said
Brian
Duffy,
CEO
of
Greenberg
Traurig.
“When
Larry
believed
in
you,
it
gave
you
the
confidence
to
believe
in
yourself.
He
did
so
many
things
the
right
way
and
always
for
the
right
reasons.
His
passing
is
a
reminder
to
the
entire
GT
Family
of
what
we
owe
to
the
man
and
his
legacy.”“Without
Larry
Hoffman,
Greenberg
Traurig,
and
myself
personally,
would
not
have
experienced
the
extraordinary
growth
and
success
we
have
seen
over
many
years,”
said
Richard
A.
Rosenbaum,
executive
chairman
of
Greenberg
Traurig,
in
a
statement.
“He
was
my
second
father
and
without
his
vision,
sacrifice,
unselfishness,
wisdom
and
business
savvy,
his
deep,
though
quiet,
understanding
of
so
many
things
relevant
to
a
growing
professional
service
organization,
and
his
instincts
about
people,
we
would
simply
not
be
who
we
are
today.”
Hoffman
was
the
last
living
founder
of
the
firm,
having
been
predeceased
by
Traurig
in
2018
and
Greenberg
in
1994.
We
here
at
Above
the
Law
would
like
to
extend
our
condolences
to
Larry
Hoffman’s
family,
friends,
and
colleagues
during
this
difficult
time.
Greenberg
Traurig
Founder
Larry
Hoffman
Dies
at
95
[American
Lawyer]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
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