Gibbons Legacy

Gibbons has a long and rich history.

1926: The Early Years of the Firm
The firm was founded by Andrew Crummy, who was born in 1898 and grew up in Newark, New Jersey. After serving as a radio operator in the United States Navy during World War I he worked while also attending New York University as an undergraduate, majoring in accounting. After graduating he became a C.P.A. and began working as an Internal Revenue Service agent.

Soon after, he attended Harvard Law School, and upon graduation returned to his roots in New Jersey to practice law. In 1926, he joined with Adam Rossbach and co-founded Rossbach & Crummy in Newark, New Jersey. When Rossbach passed away in the mid-1930s, Andrew Crummy practiced alone in the areas of taxation, corporate governance and corporate reorganizations, and later gained considerable attention as counsel for a legislative committee that investigated improprieties in the savings and loan industry.

During World War II, Andrew Crummy worked on legal matters for the Manhattan Project, where he met Colonel William Consodine, who was serving as the project’s general counsel. When Consodine left the military in late 1945, the two became partners, and Crummy & Consodine was formed.

1950: John Gibbons Joins the Firm
In 1950, John J. Gibbons joined the firm as an attorney after earning his J.D. from Harvard Law School. After several years with the firm, he was named a partner and the firm’s name changed to Crummy, Consodine & Gibbons.

1960 - 1980: The Firm Grows
The firm grew in the coming years with the addition of attorneys who would help define the future of the firm. In 1960, John (Chuck) Dolan joined the firm, following his separation from the Marine Corp and the completion of his LL.B. from Fordham University. The following year, Ralph Del Deo joined the firm, having earned his LL.B. from the Rutgers University School of Law and having been an active trial attorney in private practice.

In 1965, Michael Griffinger and Frank Vecchione joined the firm as associates. Michael Griffinger had earned his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law and his M.B.A. from the Columbia School of Business. Frank Vecchione had earned his J.D. from the Seton Hall University School of Law.

In 1967, John Gibbons became President of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and also a member of the Governor’s Commission on Civil Disorders. This period was a difficult time for the city of Newark. In the summer of 1967, an incident sparked a civil disturbance that led to a period of six days of riots, looting, violence and destruction. The Newark Riots ultimately left 23 people dead, 725 people injured, and close to 1,500 arrested.  The firm’s attorneys answered a call for help and delivered cars full of lawyers to the courthouses to assist in processing bail applications for the arrested individuals to clear overcrowded jails. The firm’s attorneys subsequently were called upon to represent many of those arrested pro bono.

In the years that followed John Gibbons left the firm to become a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the firm became known as Crummy, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione. In 1981, Andrew Crummy passed away, however the firm’s legacy was strong as it continued to grow and provide quality legal services to a variety of clients.

1990: John Gibbons Returns; Fellowship Founded
John Gibbons rejoined the firm in 1990, after concluding 20 years of service on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, where he served as the Chief Judge and authored more than 800 published opinions. Soon afterwards, the firm changed its name to Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione, in tribute to his contribution to the legal field and the firm.

Part of the reason for John Gibbons’ return was the creation of the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law, which formalized the firm’s ongoing commitment to pro bono causes. Today, the Fellowship is guided by John Gibbons and Lawrence Lustberg (the first Fellow in this program) who direct two full-time attorneys devoted solely to pro bono issues. The Gibbons Fellows, together with the law firm, undertake public interest and constitutional law projects and litigation, and the Fellowship has been and remains involved in the most significant and controversial issues that confront the Federal and State courts.

1997: Founding of the Women’s Initiative
Gibbons has created a unique networking, mentoring and business development tool from the ground up - the Gibbons Women’s Initiative. Founded in 1997, the Gibbons Women’s Initiative is an important platform for new and seasoned women attorneys within the firm to participate side-by-side with colleagues from other practice areas and offices of the firm, clients and high-level representatives from business and academia in creating quality educational and social programs. The collaboration improves knowledge, fosters teamwork, and promotes the role of women in business. Today the Initiative has grown into a highly respected organization with over 60 women within the firm actively working on its programs, and more than 2,000 invited women participants in total.

1997-2002: New York Office Opens, Expands
The firm opened its New York office in 1997, providing clients with a full range of legal services in a second location in the region. In the following years, the office grew to more than 40 lawyers through the acquisition of experienced New York attorneys. In 2002, the firm relocated its New York office to One Pennsylvania Plaza to accommodate its growth and future expansion.

2002: Opening of Trenton Office
The firm opened its Trenton office and introduced its Government Affairs Department in 2002. Responding to the needs of the firm’s clients, the firm’s lawyer-lobbyists provide substantial legal, policy and government affairs assistance for clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Just three years after the opening of this office, Gibbons was recognized as the third largest lawyer-lobbyist firm in New Jersey.

2005-2006: Gibbons Opens Philadelphia Office; Acquires Hecker Brown Firm
In May of 2005, the firm opened its Philadelphia office and in January 2006 the firm expanded this office with the addition of 25 attorneys from Hecker Brown Sherry and Johnson, a prominent Philadelphia civil litigation boutique founded by Andrew Hecker in 1979.  This expansion into Philadelphia brought the number of firm offices to four, and enhanced the firm’s ability to serve clients from offices throughout the region.

2007: Gibbons Shortens its Name and Moves Headquarters
In 2007, Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione shortened its name to Gibbons P.C. and launched a new logo to coincide with the firm’s move of its headquarters to One Gateway Center in Newark. The firm’s name pays tribute to its standard bearer, John Gibbons, who has been a strong influence on the firm and its people.

2007: Gibbons Endows Gibbons Institute of Law, Science & Technology
Gibbons endowed $1 million to the Seton Hall University School of Law to establish the Gibbons Institute of Law, Science & Technology. This gift, which is among the largest donations to a law school by a New Jersey law firm, will provide funding to assist the law school in educating and training the next generation of attorneys in the technology and scientific communities. David E. De Lorenzi, Chair of the Gibbons Intellectual Property Department, serves as Chair of the Gibbons Institute.

2007: Gibbons Joins Am Law 200
For the first time in its 81 year history, Gibbons has joined the Am Law 200, a prestigious list of the nation’s leading law firms that is published annually by The American Lawyer. The Am Law 200 is based on gross revenues and other data, which is provided by law firms throughout the nation and then investigated by reporters at American Lawyer Media’s publications throughout the United States.

2007: Gibbons Changes The Skyline of Newark; Puts Its Logo in Lights on Top of One Gateway Center
Gibbons has changed the skyline of Newark with the addition of the firm’s logo atop its headquarters building at One Gateway Center. The sign was officially lit for the first time on September 19. The firm’s directors and counsel from all four of its offices were on hand to celebrate the event.

2007: Gibbons Opens Office in Wilmington, Delaware, Expanding Regional Presence
Gibbons announced the opening of its new office in Wilmington, Delaware, which will focus on Business & Commercial Litigation, Products Liability and Financial Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights matters, and will eventually expand to become a full-service office. William R. Firth, III, who is currently headquartered in the firm’s Philadelphia office, will move to Wilmington to manage the office.

Today: Where Gibbons is Now
With 230 attorneys, Gibbons is a top law firm in the New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware metropolitan regions and is ranked among the nation’s top 200 firms by The American Lawyer. The firm provides transactional, litigation, and counseling services to leading businesses nationwide. The firm was recently ranked one of the top 50 firms nationwide for working women by Working Mother magazine, and among the top 100 firms in the nation for diversity by Multi-Cultural Law magazine. The firm has also been recognized among the Best Places to Work in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania by NJBIZ, the Philadelphia Business Journal and Central Penn Business Journal.