From Tel Aviv to Riyadh: How US firm Greenberg Traurig navigates Israel, Gulf relations - interview

US law firm Greenberg Traurig, led by executive chairman Richard Rosenbaum, operates offices in Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Rosenbaum says the expansion was business-driven, not political, and that no Gulf clients have objected to the firm's Israeli presence. The firm also supports legal efforts against antisemitism on US college campuses.

US law firm Greenberg Traurig, led by executive chairman Richard Rosenbaum, operates offices in Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. The firm opened its Tel Aviv office in 2012, at a time when some international law firms were reluctant to publicly acknowledge work in Israel. It expanded to Saudi Arabia and the UAE around three years ago, driven by business opportunities rather than diplomatic ambitions. Rosenbaum told The Jerusalem Post that no Gulf clients have raised objections to the firm's Israeli presence, and that business cooperation between Israel and the Gulf may be more extensive than the public realizes. The firm also supports legal efforts to combat antisemitism on US college campuses, including pro bono work to uncover funding behind campus protests. Greenberg Traurig was founded in 1967 by three Jewish lawyers in Miami at a time when Jewish attorneys faced barriers to employment at established law firms, a legacy Rosenbaum says continues to shape the firm's inclusive culture.