Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Moves into Cybersecurity

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been a partner at a law firm since 2005, but now he’s leaving to become the global chair of Greenberg Traurig’s cybersecurity and crisis management practice.
Greenberg Traurig is an international, multi-practice law firm with 1,900 attorneys in 38 offices across the US, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. At the firm, Giuliani will also occupy a significant position as senior advisor to Executive Chairman Richard Rosenbaum.

Who is Rudy Giuliani?

Giuliani is coming to his position at Greenberg Traurig with a wealth of experience. Before serving as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, Giuliani had a long legal career, acting as a prosecutor and private defense attorney.
In 1981, he was named US associate attorney general, and two years later he was named US attorney of the Southern District of New York. During this period, he made a name for himself by prosecuting Wall Street executives Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken for violating US securities laws.

After his stint as mayor, he went on to found the New York office of Bracewell & Giuliani. Now that he’s leaving the firm “by amicable agreement,” the firm will revert to the name Bracewell.
For his part, Rosenbaum is excited for Giuliani’s move. In a press release, Rosenbaum said, “our strategic focus on crisis management, white collar criminal defense, cybersecurity and governmental investigations will be enhanced in a major way by bringing the Mayor to the Greenberg Traurig family”

Why is Giuliani moving into cybersecurity?

Rosenbaum has made no secret of his belief in the importance of cybersecurity. In conversation with Bloomberg BNA, he stated that “firms like ours have to become more and more focused on defining themselves in key areas that they are in.” For Rosenbaum, that means a combination of crisis management, white collar criminal defense, investigations and now cybersecurity.
Giuliani appears to agree. His decision to move his star power into the realm of cybersecurity speaks to the massive growth that this industry has experienced in the past few years and the continued growth that has yet to come. In a statement, he said that he looks forward “to joining a global platform that addresses the complex needs of today’s multinational clients.”

And these complex needs often fall into the cyber realm. He commented that “data privacy and security risks are on the top of the mind of every CEO, General Counsel and corporate board I speak with, and Greenberg Traurig is clearly positioned as a top-tier and highly sophisticated player in this space.”
Cyber industry watchers will no doubt be curious to see what shifts occur in Greenberg Traurig now that Giuliani is on board. Stay tuned for updates as more information is released concerning this move.
 
Securities Disclosure: I, Morag McGreevey, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.