Robert Traurig

Traurig, 93, died on Tuesday July 7 2017 in Miami, his home since he was a teenager, leaving a legacy of law smarts and community leadership. He founded the law firm of Greenberg Traurig in 1967 with Melvin Greenberg and Larry Hoffman. Traurig was the real estate lawyer; Greenberg practiced tax law; Hoffman was the expert in the corporate law. The firm now numbers more than 2,000 attorneys and lobbyists in 38 locations worldwide, including 29 in the United States. The firm also has branches in Europe, Israel, Latin America and Asia. Three Jewish men who felt they didn’t fit in with Miami’s corporate law practices built a firm renowned for its diversity. The firm placed No. 1 among Am Law 100 firms based on the number of Hispanic-American attorneys and African-American partners on The American Lawyer 2018 Diversity Scorecard for fiscal year 2017. Traurig’s survivors include his wife of 65 years, Jacqueline Traurig; daughters Madeline Sackel and Wendy Traurig; grandchildren Shelley Booken, Jodi Schneider and Andrew Perlin; and three great-grandchildren. Traurig chaired the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce from 1991 to 1992, and guided the organization as a director for 11 years. He led the Florida Grand Opera, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Performing Arts Center Foundation, the University of Miami’s Citizens Board and the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. And he was a trustee of his synagogue, Beth David Congregation.