HOUSTON — TEXAS CO-REGIONAL OPERATING SHAREHOLDER MARY-OLGA LOVETT AND EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN RICHARD ROSENBAUM
As the Covid-19 pandemic enters month 14, law firm leaders are trying new ways to keep their attorneys and staff engaged in joint activities after such a long period of working remotely.
The continued isolation and lack of in-person interaction, many legal industry insiders believe, could significantly reduce team brainstorming, collegiality and mentoring.
Leaders at Greenberg Traurig came up with a creative way to bring the firm’s lawyers and staff back together, even if it is just for a few hours.
“We think of ourselves as a family and what would a family do?” asks Greenberg Traurig executive committee chairman Richard Rosenbaum. “They would get an RV and go someplace fun and spend time with other family members.”
Rosenbaum and Greenberg CEO Brian Duffy did just that.
AUSTIN — Megan Cline, Alan Hersh, Kaie Bodden, Maria Mason
On April 10, the duo departed the firm’s home base in Miami and spent 10 days visiting the firm’s offices in Florida and Atlanta.
Last Wednesday, they crossed into Texas and spent the day eating, drinking and listening to music with GT’s 46 lawyers in its Houston office, which opened in 2005. On Thursday, they arrived in Austin, repeating the festivities with the 28 attorneys in its office in the state’s capital.
DALLAS — ALICIA VOLTMER AND CANDACE CAMPBELL
The Greenberg RV pulled into Dallas Friday midday and spent several hours with the 54 lawyers and staff in the firm’s North Texas office, which opened in 2003.
“The basic purpose was to find a unique, creative way to get people together for some fun and food and do so in a healthy and safe environment,” Duffy said. “It was important to do more than just send a memo or do a Zoom call.”
Rosenbaum, who was the 90th lawyer to join Greenberg in 1985, said the road trip is designed to make a statement to the firm’s “most valuable assets – our people” that they matter most.
“We had the best year ever in the history of our firm,” said Rosenbaum, who practices in the firm’s New York office. “There were a lot of financial benefits to working remotely, such as reduced costs. But being together is a basic value.”
GREENBERG TRAURIG/DALLAS OFFICE
Greenberg has about 2,200 lawyers globally and reported revenues of $1.7 billion last year – an estimated $105 million of that was generated by 128 lawyers based in Texas.
The firm officially named the trip the “Mel on Wheels Getting Together Tour,” which is in honor of Mel Greenberg, one of three co-founders of Greenberg Traurig in 1967. At each stop, the firm made donations to local charities, such as food banks.
Duffy and Rosenbaum made stops at Buc-ees and Love’s Travel.
Duffy said they built a playlist of hundreds of songs for the trip.
“We played ‘London Homesick Blues’ several times,” Rosenbaum said. “It was my first time back in Texas since Jerry Jeff Walker died. I’ve visited Texas many times and all three cities have changed, but Austin has changed the most.”
“It’s still weird,” Duffy said, referring to Austin’s unofficial motto.
The first leg of the trip through Florida, Georgia and over to Texas booked 2,140 miles on the RV. Duffy and Rosenbaum will take a few weeks to get some work done and then hit the road in the RV again – next time going north and west.
