Greenberg Traurig sign Photo by J. Albert Diaz
|

Shareholder and litigator Ricardo Gonzalez has jumped from Greenberg Traurig to Berger Singerman, the fifth reported Greenberg litigation partner to leave the Miami office this year.

Gonzalez spent 16 years at Greenberg Traurig. In a statement, Berger Singerman co-chairman Paul Singerman said Gonzalez’s experience at the Federal Trade Commission, where he worked for more than three years before arriving at Greenberg, would be important to the firm.

“Rick’s substantial experience in complex litigation and knowledge regarding the government investigatory and enforcement process will add to our already deep and strong dispute resolution team and will be of great value to our clients,” Singerman said in the statement.

Gonzalez said he left Greenberg, which has a head count of almost 2,000 attorneys because of Berger Singerman’s midsized stature and stellar reputation.

Ricardo Gonzalez Ricardo Gonzalez/courtesy photo

“When you’re at a large firm you’re conflicted on a lot of clients, and at a large firm rates are exorbitant,” Gonzalez said. “I wanted to practice law and service my clients, which is what the practice of law is all about.”

Greenberg Traurig’s Miami co-managing partners Yosbel Ibarra and Jaret Davis said in a statement that they “wish Rick the best of luck.”

In March, three Greenberg Traurig litigation partners — Timothy Kolaya, Ian Ross and former Miami litigation chairman Adam Foslid — left the firm to join litigation boutique Stumphauzer & Sloman, now renamed Stumphauzer, Foslid, Sloman, Ross & Kolaya.

Greenberg’s former white-collar practice co-chairman and litigator Mark Schnapp left to join Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in July after 30 years at the firm.

Greenberg has been slowly replenishing the practice. In July, the firm nabbed former Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod litigation chairman Michael Kreitzer and litigation partner Michael Strauch.

In a July interview, Ibarra chalked the defections up to an increasingly competitive Miami market and indicated that the firm would be making more lateral hires.

“We continue to attract talent, as shown by the folks that have come along,” Ibarra told the Daily Business Review. “We look to make other announcements soon.”