Michael Burshteyn joined global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s San Francisco office as a shareholder in the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. Burshteyn arrives at the firm from Morrison & Foerster LLP.
Burshteyn is a technology litigator, handling complex disputes involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence (AI), privacy, and data security. He handles class actions and regulatory inquiries related to privacy, data security, and other internet law issues such as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, platform abuse, content moderation, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Burshteyn also represents crypto entities in Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and Department of Justice (DOJ) inquiries and investigations. He is acting as lead counsel in multiple disputes involving more than $100 million at stake, including crypto token disputes and exploit attacks. Burshteyn has helped decentralized finance (DeFi) and other clients recover more than $200 million in exploited crypto.
“Mike’s experience in litigating sophisticated technology, internet, AI, privacy, and crypto matters will add to the firm’s strategic plan of strengthening our already robust Data Privacy & Cybersecurity and Blockchain & Digital Assets practices from the litigation side,” said Greenberg Traurig Senior Vice President G. Michelle Ferreira and Bradley R. Marsh, co-managing shareholders of the firm’s San Francisco office, in a joint statement. “He is uniquely positioned to advise our clients on these matters considering his previous experience leading a security startup before returning to the practice of law.”
Burshteyn is the founder and former CEO of CryptoMove, a data security software startup. There, Burshteyn and his team brought novel moving target defense technology into the market for applications on drones, cloud security, and for securing encryption and cryptocurrency keys. After returning to legal practice full time, Burshteyn now serves as primary outside counsel managing legal roadmaps for emerging growth crypto, AI, enterprise SaaS, and consumer startups. His work for AI companies involves safety, privacy, and copyright issues arising from facial recognition and data collection, as well as claims for platform abuse related to AI content moderation.
“Riding the startup roller coaster at CryptoMove has enabled me to offer a practical and business-minded perspective for clients dealing with novel legal issues around cutting-edge technologies,” Burshteyn said. “Greenberg Traurig, with its strength in litigating key internet and technology cases alongside its global geographic footprint, is the perfect platform for my practice. I’m excited to join this storied law firm and help its continued growth in California and elsewhere.”
Burshteyn received his J.D. from Emory University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, where he led Cal to the first place college debate ranking in the United States. He is admitted to practice law in California.
