Gibbons P.C. Welcomes 2021 Fall Associate Class

Gibbons P.C. is pleased to announce that five new associates have joined the firm, bringing wide-ranging talent and experience in support of the legal and value-added services Gibbons provides to clients. Their practices will span three of the firm’s legal practice groups and the Gibbons Fellowship, and all will be resident in the firm’s Newark office.

Gibbons has long been committed to the aggressive recruitment of lawyers who have completed judicial clerkships, who are well equipped to provide clients firsthand insight into the practices and preferences of specific judges and solid knowledge of courthouse procedures. Consistent with that commitment, the firm’s fall associate class of 2021 has served clerkships in state and federal courts throughout New Jersey. “These attorneys come to Gibbons with exceptional backgrounds – all having served judicial clerkships, and many with prior experience in law firms, nonprofits, and state and federal offices,” says Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons. “They will be tremendous assets to the firm and its clients.”

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

Andrew T. Alessandro – Environmental Group
Mr. Alessandro’s most recent position was judicial clerk to the Honorable Joseph L. Yannotti of the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division, where he researched and authored legal memoranda and edited opinions. Prior to his clerkship, he was a paralegal at Gibbons in various litigation practice areas. In that role, he drafted motions, pleadings, and certifications; analyzed and summarized deposition transcripts for attorney review; edited and cite checked attorneys’ briefs prior to electronic court filing; prepared documentary discovery for production and oversaw database and hard-copy document reviews; and attended and assisted at trials and hearings in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Mr. Alessandro earned his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law – Newark, where he was Staff Business Editor for the Rutgers University Law Review, and his B.A. from Rutgers University. He is admitted to practice in the state of New Jersey.

Michael A. Botti – Employment & Labor Law Group
In his role as judicial clerk for the Honorable James R. Paganelli, J.S.C., Essex Vicinage, Chancery Division, General Equity Part, Mr. Botti was responsible for preparing motion write-ups and conducting legal research. He had previously worked as a law clerk at Gibbons, where he prepared presentations on various legal issues regarding New Jersey employment law and drafted memos on case law and legal research. Mr. Botti earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was a member of the Seton Hall Legislative Journal, and his B.A. from the University of Maryland. He is admitted to practice in the state of New Jersey.

Stephen R. Donat – Commercial & Criminal Litigation Group
Mr. Donat most recently completed a clerkship for the Honorable Katherine S. Hayden of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He had previously served as judicial clerk to the Honorable Lee A. Solomon, Supreme Court of New Jersey. Prior to his clerkships, he worked as a paralegal at Gibbons and as a Clinical Student at Seton Hall’s Impact Litigation Clinic, where he represented pro bono clients, drafted appellate briefs, and conducted research concerning the Immigration and Naturalization Act, New York Penal Law, and federal removal precedent. He also served as a legal extern for the Office of the Federal Public Defender, District Of New Jersey. Mr. Donat earned his J.D., cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. from Manhattan College. He is admitted to practice in the state of New Jersey.

Ethan Kisch – John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law
Mr. Kisch clerked for the Honorable Stuart Rabner, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, and, prior to that, for the Honorable John Michael Vazquez on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Mr. Kisch was previously an associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was an Article Selection Editor for the Harvard Civil Rights – Civil Liberties Law Review, and his B.A., summa cum laude, from The College of New Jersey. He is admitted to practice in the states of New Jersey and New York.

Christina M. LaBruno – Commercial & Criminal Litigation Group
Ms. LaBruno completed two judicial clerkships, most recently for the Honorable Kevin McNulty of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and, prior to that, for the Honorable Jaynee LaVecchia in the New Jersey Supreme Court. In these roles, she was responsible for performing legal research, editing draft opinions, and preparing legal memoranda. She previously served additional legal or judicial internships for various organizations, including the Legal Action Center, National Center for Law and Economic Justice, and the United States Department of Justice. She earned her J.D., summa cum laude, from Rutgers School of Law – Newark, where she was Symposium Editor for the Rutgers University Law Review, and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Fordham University. She is admitted to practice in the state of New Jersey.