Gibbons P.C. Welcomes 2020 Fall Associate Class

Gibbons P.C. is pleased to announce that seven new associates have joined the firm, bringing diverse talent and experience that further enhances the service that Gibbons delivers to clients. Their practices will span two of the firm’s legal departments, as well as the Gibbons Fellowship, and all will be resident in the firm’s Newark office.

Consistent with the firm’s commitment to hiring the most promising new attorneys with the most relevant prior experience, each associate has recently completed a judicial clerkship, with some having completed more than one. The members of the new class have completed clerkships in various courts throughout the state of New Jersey.

“The varied backgrounds and skill sets of these attorneys will serve our clients well,” says Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons. “We are delighted to welcome them to the firm.”

The new associates, along with overviews of their experience, are listed below.

Rachel S. Johnston, Commercial & Criminal Litigation Department
Ms. Johnston most recently completed a clerkship for the Honorable Zahid N. Quraishi, U.S.M.J., United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, where she was responsible for the organization and management of half of the assigned docket and drafting proposed memorandum opinions and orders. She also interfaced with counsel and parties appearing before the Court. Ms. Johnston earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and her B.A., magna cum laude, from University of Arizona. She is admitted to practice in the state of New Jersey.

Wendy L. Llewellyn-Langford, Commercial & Criminal Litigation Department
While serving as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Mary Gibbons Whipple, J.A.D., New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, Ms. Llewellyn-Langford conducted research and wrote memoranda for the Appellate Division panel judges on a variety of legal topics. Prior to this clerkship, she served as an intern in the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender in the Mercer Trial Region and Special Hearings Unit. Ms. Llewellyn-Langford earned her J.D., cum laude, from Rutgers Law School – Newark and her B.A. from Michigan State University. She is admitted to practice in the state of New Jersey.

Andrew J. Marino, Commercial & Criminal Litigation Department
Mr. Marino most recently completed a judicial clerkship with the Honorable R. Lanier Anderson, III, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Macon, GA. Prior to this clerkship, he was an associate in the Litigation & Arbitration Department at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP in New York. Mr. Marino earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was Articles Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review, and his B.A., with honors, from the University of Notre Dame. He is admitted to practice in the state of New York and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.

Conor D. McMullan, Financial Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights Department
Mr. McMullan most recently completed a clerkship with the Honorable John K. Sherwood, United States Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey, where he advised the Judge on motions and applications, confirmation hearings, evidentiary hearings, trials, and mediations. He has experience drafting decisions, bench rulings, memoranda of law, and orders on various corporate and consumer bankruptcy issues including jurisdiction, first day motions, confirmation of plans of reorganization, and successive chapter 11 filings. Mr. McMullan earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was Associate Editor of the Seton Hall Circuit Review, and his B.A. from Villanova University. He is admitted to practice in the state of New Jersey.

Michael K. O’Leary, Commercial & Criminal Litigation Department
Mr. O’Leary joins the firm upon completion of his clerkship with the Honorable Walter F. Timpone, Associate Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court. He has experience researching and drafting legal memoranda on principles of suretyship, contractual indemnification, bankruptcy, New Jersey and New York construction law, as well as federal and state procedural and evidentiary rules. He has also analyzed discovery for commercial and construction litigation matters. Mr. O’Leary earned his J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is admitted to practice in the states of New Jersey and New York, as well as the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Julia E. Palermo, Commercial & Criminal Litigation Department
Ms. Palermo most recently completed a clerkship with the Honorable Lydia Kay Griggsby, United States Court of Federal Claims, where she drafted and edited judicial opinions on a wide variety of issues, including government contract bid protests, federal civilian pay disputes pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, contract formation and interpretation pursuant to the Contract Disputes Act, statutory interpretation pursuant to the Affordable Care Act, patent infringement claims, and various matters pursuant to the Rules of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. She earned her J.D. from the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University, where she was Symposium Editor of the Journal of International Commercial Law, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Marist College. Ms. Palermo is admitted to practice in the state of New Jersey, District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Brittany M. Thomas, John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law
Ms. Thomas is a Gibbons Fellow in Public Interest & Constitutional Law for the 2020-2022 term. She joins the firm upon completion of a two-year position as a Bertha Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York. In this role, Ms. Thomas drafted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, complaints, motions for preliminary injunction, and appellate briefs. She also has experience in drafting research memos, aiding in settlement negotiations, and successfully arguing a motion to dismiss in New Jersey State Court. Ms. Thomas earned her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law, where she was a member of the Race and Social Justice Law Review, and her B.A., cum laude, from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She is admitted to practice in the states of New Jersey and New York, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.