Gibbons Recognized as a Leading Firm by Chambers USA
Publication recognizes 14 lawyers in 10 practice areas as leaders in their fields

August 4, 2009

Gibbons is once again eminently positioned in the annual rankings by the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, with 10 of the firm’s practice areas and 14 individual attorneys ranked in the top tiers. The firm has appeared in the New Jersey section of the Chambers guide since the guide’s inception.

“The firm is always proud of the achievements of our talented practice groups and attorneys, but we are particularly pleased when prestigious publications like Chambers also recognize such talent,” says Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Chairman & Managing Director of Gibbons.

Chambers annually rates the nation’s leading business lawyers and law firms through comprehensive interviews with top companies, attorneys, and business executives; this year’s process included over 14,000 such interviews.

The Gibbons practice groups that earned places in Chambers’ top tiers in New Jersey include the following, with Chambers and client testimonials excerpted from this year’s guide:

  • Litigation: General Commercial
  • Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
  • Litigation: Products Liability
    “’[The firm’s] work is of a uniformly high quality - it’s one of the best in New Jersey,’ opine sources, who label the firm ‘responsive, thorough, and possessing more than enough resources to give a case everything it needs.’  A one-stop shop for litigation, the team can handle all kinds of disputes relating to a range of industries.”
  • Bankruptcy/Restructuring
    “Gibbons maintains its reputation as a highly experienced and reliable outfit. Its client list shows a remarkable degree of diversity, with entities hailing from the automotive, healthcare, finance, retail and restaurant industries, among others.”
  • Environmental
    “According to sources, Gibbons’ lawyers are ‘incredibly focused on clients’ needs and reaching resolutions - they manage their time carefully to match up with the clients’ goals while still being cost-effective.’ The firm’s environmental litigation support is singled out for praise, as is its outstanding customer service.”
  • Healthcare
    “Complex and conflict-led matters are identified as a major strength here, resulting in Gibbons’ solid track record in litigation and other types of dispute resolution; it is also frequently involved in government investigations, such as those relating to off-label promotion and drug pricing.”
  • Intellectual Property
    “Working closely with offices in New York and Philadelphia, Gibbons’ New Jersey IP team undertakes both litigation and transactional matters…. The group grew by 25 lawyers early in 2008, and includes numerous experts in electronic, networking and computer technologies; it also houses specialist Hatch-Waxman litigators representing brand pharmaceutical clients in major drug patent litigations.”
  • Labor & Employment
    “[This practice] has been extremely busy over the past year, with a particularly large volume of instructions from the financial services industry; most of this work channels the group’s strong talent for litigation. The majority of litigations handled by the firm are in the areas of discrimination - often in relation to issues of mental health, such as stress and anxiety - and whistle-blowing.”
  • Real Estate
    “A particularly large part of this team’s workload centers around real estate redevelopment, where the group traditionally stands out among its competitors. In addition, it is increasingly involved in the acquisition of distressed assets, a trend related to the economic downturn.”
  • Corporate/M&A
    “[This team’s] hard work now seems to be paying off, with a wealth of positive feedback from both clients and competitors. The group offers strong capabilities in work for overseas and cross-border clients, while local entities benefit from the team’s close ties to its New York office; this connection is derived in part from the New York backgrounds of many of the practitioners. The team is mainly active in the areas of distressed ventures, debt issuances, commercial debt transfers, private equity and M&A. In one recent highlight the group represented the New Jersey Division of Investment in relation to its $400 million investment in Citi, an extremely prominent deal that earned the team significant praise from market commentators.”

The 14 Gibbons lawyers featured in the guide’s individual rankings included:

Christine A. Amalfe
Labor & Employment
“The department is chaired by Christine Amalfe, who is deemed ‘knowledgeable, creative and confident.’ Her workload is predominantly focused on litigation and most commonly features single and multiplaintiff cases, with some additional class action work.”

Russell B. Bershad
Real Estate
“The team operates under the guidance of cochair Russell Bershad, who specializes in financing, leasing and conveyancing transactions. Clients appreciate his down-to-earth and totally focused attitude to cases.”

Kim M. Catullo
Litigation: Products Liability
“Sources describe her as a talented and highly motivated individual.”

David E. De Lorenzi
Intellectual Property
“Dividing his time between litigation and transactions, David De Lorenzi leads the group. He recently acted on behalf of plaintiffs Pactiv, Newspring Industrial and Newspring Canada in international litigation concerning patent and trade dress rights, unfair competition and trade secret misappropriation.”

Karen A. Giannelli
Bankruptcy/Restructuring
“Karen Giannelli heads the department and regularly advises major financial institutions on all aspects of restructuring, creditors’ rights and financial services. Sources admire her excellent analysis of cases and her first-rate network of contacts.”

John J. Gibbons
Litigation: General Commercial
“John Gibbons is one of the most respected figures on the New Jersey litigation scene. He is outstandingly experienced in matters of antitrust, IP and securities regulation.”

Michael R. Griffinger
Litigation: General Commercial
“Michael Griffinger reaps considerable praise as ‘one of the best practitioners in the state – a dean of the New Jersey defense trial Bar.’ He specializes predominantly in securities and antitrust cases, and can offer clients a huge amount of experience in such matters.”

John H. Klock
Environmental
“With his extensive knowledge of property law, John Klock has proved his worth in a number of construction cases, often in relation to Superfunds.”

Bruce A. Levy
Healthcare
“The team’s aptitude in contentious cases is enhanced by the presence of criminal defense specialist Bruce Levy. He focuses on cases arising from healthcare-related fraud investigations, either at a government or an internal level, as well as complex civil litigation and compliance.”

Lawrence S. Lustberg
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
“’He’s diligent, thorough and leaves no stone unturned,’ comment sources, who also highlight his quick turnaround of winning work.”

Michael R. McDonald
Litigation: General Commercial
“Michael McDonald has built his practice on a string of complex commercial disputes concerning products liability, particularly in the pharmaceutical arena. His ability to handle multifaceted litigation benefits from his keen eye for detail.”

Edward F. McTiernan
Environmental
“The practice is overseen by Edward McTiernan, whose best work is said to occur within a regulatory framework. ‘He’s got a great grasp of business issues and is very practical,’ according to sources, ‘but he’s also a creative thinker with innovative solutions.’”

Susan L. Nardone
Labor & Employment
“Sources describe Susan Nardone as a talented practitioner. Most active defending employers against discrimination and harassment claims, she also provides employers with counseling relating to all aspects of working relationships.”

Frank J. Vecchione
Bankruptcy/Restructuring
“Sources describe Chapter 11 specialist Frank Vecchione as ‘a dean of the practice - he’s a sage adviser with years of experience and an incredibly authoritative presence: when he talks, people really listen.’”