Gibbons P.C. Recognized For Its Innovations in Diversity & Inclusion

Gibbons P.C. has been honored with a 2022 Profiles in Diversity Journal Innovations in Diversity & Inclusion Award. The firm is one of nine recipients of the annual acknowledgement, which pays tribute to “corporations, organizations, and institutions that have developed innovative solutions in the area of workforce diversity, inclusion, and human equity.” Featured in the journal’s Q4 2022 issue, available here, Gibbons was recognized for the joint efforts of its Gibbons Diversity Initiative (GDI) and Gibbons Cares pro bono program.

“GDI and Gibbons Cares are proving to play an integral role in helping small, diverse businesses thrive. In turn, these businesses are boosting the local economy by providing valuable services and creating jobs for people in Newark and other New Jersey communities,” said Robert Johnson, Gibbons’s Chief Diversity Officer. “We are thrilled to be commended for these efforts.”

Since 2020, the firm launched three pro bono initiatives to assist small, minority-owned businesses throughout New Jersey that typically face hurdles in financing and sustaining their operations and have limited access to services and resources:

• “Small Businesses Need Us” (SBNU), an initiative of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership in which Gibbons is a partner, mobilizes professionals throughout the business community to help women- and minority-owned small businesses recover from the impact of COVID-19. SBNU connects these businesses with legal service providers specializing in employment, real estate, intellectual property, data privacy and security, and other areas. In 2021 alone, participating Gibbons attorneys donated more than 645 hours to SBNU to clients, ranging from a STEM enrichment program for students to an event management company to a life and business empowerment coach.
• The AACCNJ Pro Bono Alliance, a partnership between Gibbons and the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ), provides free legal counsel and advice to AACCNJ members to launch, sustain, calibrate, or advance their businesses. Since its establishment early this year, the AACCNJ Pro Bono Alliance has assisted many clients, including a business in a civil action to secure possession of a property that the business had purchased in foreclosure
• The Equitable Small Business Initiative (ESBI), a joint venture structured by Gibbons for longtime clients New Jersey Community Capital and the AACCNJ, facilitates access to business-related resources to New Jersey’s Black business enterprises and provides them with hands-on, customized support, pandemic relief loans, and critical capital. The ESBI, in its first month, attracted outside contributions in support of its mission, including a $1 million commitment from a local foundation.

“Giving back is fundamental to our firm’s philosophy,” remarked Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Executive Chairperson. “Through GDI and Gibbons Cares, we are able to not only have a positive impact on the local business community, but also support diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

“We thank Profiles in Diversity Journal for this acknowledgement,” added Peter J. Torcicollo, Managing Director. “Providing pro bono legal representation enables the firm’s participating attorneys to gain a valuable, firsthand look at the tangible ways their knowledge and experience are assisting diverse small businesses.”

About Profiles in Diversity Journal
Profiles in Diversity Journal, now in its 24th year, is a quarterly B2B magazine, focusing on diversity, inclusion, and human equity in business, government, nonprofit, higher education, legal, and military settings. The focus of the Journal is to recognize and share examples of exceptional leadership, best practices, workforce diversity and inclusion strategies, and the recognition of outstanding employee contributions.