Gibbons Ranks #44 Nationwide for Pro Bono Program

The American Lawyer has once again recognized Gibbons P.C. in its annual pro bono survey, this year ranking the firm 44th among the AmLaw 200 for its Gibbons Fellowship and Gibbons Cares programs, an improvement of 19 slots over last year’s ranking of 63rd. As reported in the publication’s June 30, 2014 edition, Gibbons attorneys logged 16,475 hours total, with an average per attorney of 71.6 hours of work. This year, Gibbons scores above more than 120 larger firms and demonstrates the most improved ranking for a New Jersey firm.

“Gibbons is proud of our 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 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 we have offices, as well as on a few key areas that reflect our legacy and values, including homeless and tenants’ rights advocacy, prisoners’ rights and advocacy for asylum seekers, support for first responders, and support for society’s most under-represented.

The AmLaw rankings are based on the firms’ pro bono hours billed by attorneys in their U.S. offices as of December 31, 2013. The American Lawyer 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.