Michael Gnesin Speaks with Law360 About Emigrating from Soviet Union, Work on Lewis Brisbois' Ukraine Conflict Response Team

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (July 21, 2022) - Fort Lauderdale and Chicago Partner Michael Gnesin recently spoke with Law360 Pulse for an article, titled "Lewis Brisbois Atty, Soviet Expat On Ukraine Conflict Work," which discusses how Mr. Gnesin's experience emigrating from the Soviet Union to the United States has informed his work on Lewis Brisbois' Ukraine Conflict Response team and his volunteer efforts to assist refugee families.

As the article describes, Mr. Gnesin and his family fled the Soviet Union when he was six years old. Mr. Gnesin, who joined Lewis Brisbois in June and previously spoke with Law360 about his move to the firm and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, told Law360 Pulse that getting established in the United States "was a struggle." He explained, "It was a ground-up building process, because we came with nothing – we didn't know the language, we only had $400 or $500, a couple suitcases." Mr. Gnesin also shared with the publication that today, his background allows him to have "a very strong client base that's Russian-speaking," noting that these clients "feel more comfortable" with him.

Moreover, Mr. Gnesin explained that he is a member of Russian-speaking groups that are donating time, money, and food to refugees who left the Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, and that he has donated his own services. "If there's anything that's within my wheelhouse, I'm assisting, whether it's reviewing documentation, helping an immigration attorney file documents, reviewing documents," said Mr. Gnesin. "My background is commercial contracts, business law, mergers and acquisitions, so I do a lot of document review, drafting, and negotiations."

Mr. Gnesin also told Law360 Pulse that being a part of Lewis Brisbois' Ukraine Conflict Response team, "is a huge honor because it is bad over there now. . . . So just to be able to assist now and be on standby to help refugees with a donation, or from a time and pro bono perspective, I'm all for it, and I'm going to continue to do it until this is done."

Mr. Gnesin has more than a decade of experience advising individual and corporate clients in hundreds of commercial transactions of all sizes. He is a dedicated leader with a proven track record of analyzing complex deals, identifying relevant policies and precedents, and making personal and professional recommendations to inform merger and acquisition strategy in compliance with local, state, and federal mandates.

Read the full Law360 Pulse article here (subscription required).