American Lawyer Ranks Gibbons 46th Nationwide in Pro Bono Survey

The firm has been selected for the recognition mentioned herein, which has been conferred by the corresponding publications and/or organizations noted. An overview of the award selection methodologies for these recognitions can be found at https://www.gibbonslaw.com/awards. 

Gibbons P.C. has earned a nationwide ranking of 46 in The American Lawyer’s annual pro bono survey, moving up four slots from last year’s rankings. Gibbons was also the most highly ranked New Jersey based law firm on this year’s list.

As reported in the publication’s July 2018 edition, Gibbons attorneys logged 14,960 hours – an average of more than 81 hours per lawyer – with 43.5 percent of the firm’s attorneys providing more than 20 hours of pro bono work in 2017. This is the fifth year the firm has ranked in the top 50 on this survey, scoring above dozens of larger Am Law 200 firms.

“We are proud of our Gibbons attorneys who continue to build on the firm’s longstanding and proud tradition of supporting our communities through volunteer legal service,” says Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons.

The firm’s pro bono platform comprises a long-term pro bono endowment along with a traditional pro bono program. Through the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law, two Fellows handle matters of cutting-edge legal importance and broad national and state-wide significance in such areas as civil liberties, marriage equality, and post-conviction criminal defense work. Meanwhile, the firm’s traditional pro bono outreach focuses on serving the communities in which Gibbons has offices. In recent years, many firm attorneys have undertaken their pro bono work through the Gibbons Pro Bono Clinic Program. Developed and presented at the Gibbons headquarters in Newark, in partnership with several corporate clients and nonprofit organizations, these clinics serve a wide range of pro bono clients and focus primarily in domestic violence, expungement, and military personnel and veterans assistance.

The American Lawyer rankings are based on each law firm’s pro bono hours billed by attorneys in their U.S. offices as of December 31, 2017. The publication defines pro bono work as “legal services donated to organizations or individuals that could not otherwise afford them.” They do not include work done by paralegals or summer associates, nor time spent on bar association work, on non-legal work for charities, or on boards of nonprofit organizations.

About the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law
Since 1990, the Gibbons Fellowship has taken on and litigated many of the most significant legal issues of our time. These cases, which have often presented cutting-edge issues of law and have almost always affected the lives of many in New Jersey and elsewhere, have resulted in a stream of honors for the firm and the Fellowship, which is recognized as a courageous advocate and a powerful voice for the underrepresented and the poor. The breadth of the Fellowship’s work, which spans a wide range of civil and criminal subject matters and includes matters at the trial and appellate levels, in state and federal courts, and through direct representation and amicus work, all combine to make the Gibbons Fellowship uniquely able to serve its clients and the courts, while also significantly impacting the law. The Fellowship’s impact has been and continues to be profound.

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A description of the selection process methodology for the awards referenced is available at gibbonslaw.com/awards/.