J. David Bournazian.

Greenberg Traurig has hired litigation partner J. David Bournazian in Irvine.

Bournazian, who started working out of his new firm's Orange County office in early August, once served as general counsel to prominent architect Frank Gehry. He was most recently a coordinating member of the local litigation and construction group at Troutman Sanders.

“I have known a number of people [at Greenberg Traurig] over the years, so it was an ongoing conversation,” said Bournazian about his reasons for joining the Am Law 100 firm, which has its roots in Miami. “GT is a different firm in that, it is a global firm, it's got tremendous depth … [and] it is truly international. I have somebody working with me in Shanghai that just didn't exist in my prior firm.”

Troutman Sanders announced earlier this year that it would close its three offices in Asia. At the Atlanta-based Am Law 100 firm, Bournazian said he was the “second-in-command” of its litigation and construction group in Irvine. Bournazian joined Troutman Sanders in 2015 from Baker & Hostetler in Costa Mesa where he joined that firm two years prior after having been a partner at Kutak Rock.

Bournazian has focused his practice on complex litigation and business negotiations, with an emphasis on employment, health care and real estate law. He also once oversaw budgets for NASA and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration while working in the White House under President George H.W. Bush, according to a statement from Greenberg Traurig announcing his hire. He served as general counsel to a company controlled by Gehry from 2006 to 2007.

“I missed the courtroom. In my heart, I am still also a trial lawyer,” Bournazian said. “I missed talking to a jury, I missed arguing in front of a judge or having an opposing counsel. That is something that you can't entirely do if you are a general counsel in an architectural firm, even at the level I was at.“

At Greenberg Traurig, Bournazian will work in the firm's construction law, real estate litigation, retail and trial practices. Greenberg Traurig now has 23 lawyers working out of its Orange County office in Irvine, which opened in 2004 with seven founding members.

“David's experience in both the public and private sectors further enhances our capabilities and complements key practice areas,” Greenberg Traurig litigation co-chairs Lori Cohen and Jeff Scott said in a joint statement. “His addition is in keeping with our ongoing strategic growth and commitment to provide clients with high-level, sophisticated service across our platform.”

Greenberg Traurig, which in July saw name partner Robert Traurig die at 93, recently had longtime leader Cesar Alvarez be named one of The American Lawyer's Lifetime Achievers for his role overseeing the firm's rapid growth from regional firm to global giant.

In August, Greenberg Traurig, which now has roughly 1,950 lawyers, brought on a Husch Blackwell health care team in Denver.