Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Groisman.
Gabriel, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a product of South Florida. I grew up in Surfside and then Aventura. After eight years away for college, law school – and a small stint as a singer-songwriter in NYC – I came back to South Florida and started my legal career as a business litigator at Coffey Burlington. At the same time, I became very involved in the community through a wide variety of organizations. My legal career and my community involvement continued to grow. I ran for Bal Harbour city council in 2014, and in 2016, I was elected to serve as Mayor of Bal Harbour. In January 2018, I launched my own law firm, Groisman Law focusing on commercial matters, transactional and litigation, as well as intellectual property and anti-corruption counseling.
Has it been a smooth road?
There is no such thing as a “smooth road” in life. Life has its obstacles and challenges. The goal is to keep moving forward even if the landscape isn’t what you expected. For instance, I took on the role as Mayor in a very active way. I’ve used my position to fight for various issues, such as anti-Semitism, discrimination against the disabled, and even saving our county’s beaches – all in a very public manner. My activism has made some of my law firm clients uncomfortable, which has been a challenge in and of itself. But, I fight to remain true to myself and am confident that I am taking the right path, and that it will all work out.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Mayor of Bal Harbour – and founder of Groisman Law – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
In my public life, my three biggest accomplishments thus far have been: (1) In December 2015, I wrote and passed the nation’s first municipal anti-BDS (boycott, divest and sanctions against Israel). I pursued this idea as I was looking for a tool to fight against the fast-growing trend of anti-Semitism across the nation. As a result, I was invited to present at the United Nations on two occasions, the Italian Parliament’s conference against anti-Semitism, the Israeli Parliament, and an international conference against anti-Semitism in Jerusalem. (2) In December 2017 I was the first in the nation to codify a uniform definition of anti-Semitism to assist law enforcement in fighting against anti-Semitic hate crimes. I then presented the ordinance to the Miami-Dade County Chiefs of Police Association, who in turn adopted by ordinance as a resolution. This effort is not only spreading across our county, but it has now been adopted by the State of South Carolina and is making its way across the nation.
In my private life, after over 11 years at an amazing law firm in Miami, I decided to launch my own, Groisman Law. This has given me the opportunity to focus entirely on my own clients and their needs. I am a well-rounded lawyer, who thrives on building long-term relationships with my clients and serving as their counselor and attorney in a wide variety of issues. While my training is mostly in commercial litigation, I also have a focus on trademarks and copyrights – litigation and transactional. Finally, the last few years much of my practice has focused on helping client’s deal with the restrictions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which governs how business can (and can’t) be done with foreign governments.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the growth of Miami. I moved to Miami in 1984. It was a sleepy beach town, with no real “culture.” Today, we live in one of the most exciting metropolises in the country. Culture, food, music, sports, art – we have it all. Of course, the downside is the volume of people – the traffic. Those issues are exponentially more difficult to solve given the fact that our county is made up of 39 municipalities. This is also a challenge, I am looking to take on for several important issues.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.groismanlaw.com – and – www.balharbourfl.gov
- Phone: 305-930-7979 – and – 305-866-4633
- Email: [email protected] – and – [email protected]
- Facebook: @groismangabriel
- Twitter: @gabegroisman
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
