March 12-15 marked the first visit of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City and current global chair of the firm’s Cybersecurity, Privacy and Crisis Management Practice and newest member of the firm’s Israel Practice, to the Tel Aviv office. The Mayor has visited Israel often, but this is the first of what are expected to be many visits as a member of Greenberg Traurig. The Mayor’s visit included an array of activities allowing him to meet old friends and colleagues as well as to get to become more familiar with Israel’s cybersecurity community.
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On March 13th Giuliani and Greenberg Traurig attorneys met with Gilad Erdan, Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs and Information, and Ofir Akunis, Minister of Science, Technology and Space. Later that evening, the World Jewish Congress honored Giuliani at a gala dinner and brought together diplomats, politicians, Supreme Court judges and other honorable guests. Greetings were given by Sam Grundwerg, WJC Director General; Shai Hermesh, Chairman of the Israeli branch of the WJC; Gila Gamliel, Minister of Social Equality; Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem; Eli Groner, Director General of the Office of the Prime Minister; and Gary M. Epstein, Managing Shareholder of the Tel Aviv Office. Mayor Giuliani gave a memorable address describing his close ties to Israel and his vision of how he plans to utilize the GT platform to provide top quality service to cybersecurity clients around the globe.
March 14th gave the Mayor an opportunity to meet face to face with Israel’s prominent cybersecurity companies and business leaders as part of a full day of Greenberg Traurig events. Following a breakfast between Giuliani, Greenberg Traurig Shareholders and Ayelet Shaked, Minister of Justice, at which law enforcement methodologies, among other things, were discussed.
The first half of the day was dedicated to a seminar titled “The Crossroads of Cyber & Security: Where the Business and Law of Cyber & Security Meet.”
The Mayor opened the seminar by delivering a specialized cybersecurity overview to a crowd comprised of General Counsel, Chief Information Officers and Compliance Personnel.
The seminar continued with a panel of specialists speaking on the burning topic in global and local cybersecurity, and was moderated by Keren Elazari, a senior researcher at the Balvatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center at Tel Aviv University. Panelists include GT’s Alan N. Sutin, Chair of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice, and Senior Chair of the Global Intellectual Property & Technology Practice; Omer Shalev, General Counsel at EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd., and Senior Partner at Gross Orad Schlimoff & Co.; Amit Ashkenazi, Legal Advisor at the Israel National Cyber Bureau (INCB); and Gadi Tirosh, Managing Partner of JVP Jerusalem.
Finishing the day by delivering practical tools on understanding the current changes in cyber related regulation around the world was Tel Aviv Shareholder Adam Snukal.
The afternoon included a meeting with Dr. Eviatar Matania, of the National Cyber Bureau. Further expanding the Mayor’s perspective on Israeli companies and business world, Greenberg Traurig Tel Aviv hosted a cocktail event on March 14th evening. The evening brought together the who’s who of Israel business world who were delighted to join Greenberg Traurig in welcoming the Mayor to the firm. After being welcomed by Vice- Mayor Asaf Zamir, the Mayor gave a stirring presentation, interrupted numerous times by applause.
On Tuesday March 15th, Mayor Giuliani, together with Greenberg Traurig Tel Aviv attorneys met with Beer Sheva Mayor Roovik Danilovic to hear about the city’s transformation into the country’s cybersecurity capital. They then visited Beer Sheva’s cybersecurity hub, home to a growing number of cyber companies, as well as Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva where Giuliani met with University President Prof. Rivka Carmi, and spoke of cybersecurity to a room full of students.
The Mayor’s whirlwind trip ended with an intimate dinner hosted by Greenberg Traurig’s Tel Aviv office. These three days provided both the Israeli community and the Mayor a glimpse into the fruitful collaborations continuing to flourish from day to day between Greenberg Traurig and the different eco-systems which exist in Israel, as well as the many opportunities that are now being discovered.
About Greenberg Traurig, P.A. – Tel Aviv
Greenberg Traurig is the only major international law firm with a multidisciplinary, registered office in Tel Aviv and serves as a gateway for Israeli businesses and entrepreneurs seeking opportunities around the world, as well as for companies exploring opportunities within Israel. The Tel Aviv location offers clients the global reach of Greenberg Traurig’s international network, connecting Israel to major commercial centers across the globe.