GIBBONS IS NJ’S TOP LAWYER-LOBBYING FIRM FOR 14th STRAIGHT YEAR
GIBBONS IS NJ’S TOP LAWYER-LOBBYING FIRM FOR 14th STRAIGHT YEAR
(NEWARK AND TRENTON, NJ – March 10, 2022) For the fourteenth year in a row, Gibbons P.C. has been ranked the #1 lawyer-lobbying firm in New Jersey, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC), which today released its report on 2021 lobbying expenditures in the state. The firm, whose Government & Regulatory Affairs Group celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, also ranked sixth in the state among all lobbying practices.
In 2021, the Gibbons Government & Regulatory Affairs Group increased its revenues over the prior year, even while overall lobbying expenditures in the state fell by over 12 percent.
“Our lawyer-lobbyists are equally focused on helping clients achieve their business goals and maintaining excellent working relationships in the executive and legislative branches in both Trenton and Washington, regardless of which party is in power,” said Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Executive Chairperson of Gibbons.
Peter J. Torcicollo, the firm’s Managing Director, added, “Our presence, influence, and longstanding relationships allow us to provide creative, strategic solutions to a wide-ranging client base that has, for 20 years, turned to Gibbons as New Jersey’s ‘go to’ lawyer-lobbying firm for tackling the legislative and regulatory issues that impact bottom lines.”
Gibbons opened its Trenton office and launched its Government & Regulatory Affairs Group in 2002 to offer public, private, and nonprofit sector clients the legal, policy, and government affairs guidance needed to most effectively execute their missions. The firm built a team of distinguished lawyer-lobbyists who provide cutting-edge advocacy to make clients’ voices heard at the right times and by the right people. Over the past 20 years, Mr. Dunican in particular has worked to ensure that the team has had all the necessary resources to build its award-winning practice, and he has established, nurtured, and strengthened the firm’s relationships with various elected officials and other policymakers throughout the legislative and executive branches at the local, state, and federal levels.
Based just steps from the New Jersey State House in Trenton and supported by additional resources from the firm’s Newark and Red Bank offices, the Gibbons Government & Regulatory Affairs Group today offers a broad range of services and experience in state legislative affairs, regulatory affairs and departmental actions, administrative law, business incentives, government procurement and contracting, and political and campaign finance compliance. In addition, the firm’s Washington, DC office provides Gibbons lawyer-lobbyists a base from which to more efficiently handle federal regulatory concerns and government relations strategies with on-the-ground guidance wherever client issues may arise.
“I am so proud of our firm’s 20-year legacy as advocates in Trenton and around New Jersey. Our knowledge and experience of government relations and regulatory advocacy have had a significant influence on our overall approach to counseling clients at the firm. As one of the founding members of the group, I take tremendous pride in this,” said David J. Pascrell, Co-Chair of the Government & Regulatory Affairs Group. “It is satisfying to know that the results of this approach have, for the last 14 years, put Gibbons at the top of all law firms with such practices.”
Added the group’s Co-Chair, Kevin G. Walsh, “Clients have benefited for 20 years from our understanding that advocating for their businesses in the State House is no different than advocating for clients in the courthouse: we marshal the facts, understand the law, and persuade decision makers that our client’s cause is just and correct. For almost 100 years, Gibbons has recognized that no client is too large and no issue is too small.”
Building on its longstanding NJ ELEC ranking, the Gibbons Government & Regulatory Affairs Group has earned additional recognition, including selection as the “Top Lobbying Firm” in the most recent NJBIZ Reader Rankings and as key part of the firm’s designation as a Law360 “Regional Powerhouse” for 2021. The practice itself and many of its members have been highly ranked in U.S. News – Best Lawyers® for the past several years.
To view the full news release issued by the NJ ELEC, please see here.
About the Gibbons Government & Regulatory Affairs Group
The Gibbons Government & Regulatory Affairs Group celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2022. The firm’s lawyer-lobbyists provide state and federal legislative, regulatory, corporate communications and public affairs, and business incentive and procurement counseling to clients in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. The team authors regular government and regulatory affairs blog posts on the Gibbons Law Alert, an online platform designed to provide practical perspectives, discussion, and analysis of the latest legislative news and trends. Members of the practice are:
David J. Pascrell – Co-Chair
Mr. Pascrell represents government affairs clients in Trenton and Washington, DC in a diverse cross-section of sectors, including financial and insurance, health and hospital, technology, utilities, development and construction, and public entities. He has worked with almost every state department, agency, board, authority, and commission in New Jersey.
Kevin G. Walsh – Co-Chair
Mr. Walsh’s practice of law includes business litigation, government affairs, and criminal defense. His government affairs clients include hospitals, electric utilities, telecommunications companies, cable television providers, insurance companies, a non-traditional medical company, accounting firms, infrastructure/architecture firms, and automobile dealers.
Christine A. Stearns – Administrative Director of the Trenton Office
Christine Stearns has a wide range of political and legislative experience. In her role at the firm, she provides strategic counsel to an array of clients to develop and implement legislative and regulatory strategies. In recent years, Ms. Stearns has been featured on the ROI-NJ “Influencers: Power List” in both the Government Affairs and Healthcare categories. She is listed in the most recent edition of Best Lawyers® in the Government Relations category. She previously served as Vice President of Health & Legal Affairs for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association for many years.
Michael D. DeLoreto – Director
Mr. DeLoreto’s focus areas include administrative law, economic development incentives, alcoholic beverage licensing, and legislative and strategic counseling for public, private, and nonprofit entities. He previously served as Chief of Staff to the New Jersey General Assembly Deputy Majority Leader and as the Government Affairs Director for one of New Jersey’s largest trade associations. Mr. DeLoreto has been listed in New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars for Government Relations and Best Lawyers® “Ones to Watch” for Government Relations and Commercial Litigation.
Robert Johnson – Director
Mr. Johnson – a corporate attorney focusing on mergers and acquisitions and a former Assistant Counsel to the Governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2012 – has extensive experience with various governmental agencies, whether by representing them directly or by negotiating with them on behalf of his corporate clients.
Paul J. St. Onge – Director
As a founding member of the Gibbons Government & Regulatory Affairs Group, Mr. St. Onge has extensive experience working on behalf of clients at the local, county, state, and federal levels of government, and with the executive branch of New Jersey’s state government. He has successfully secured major incentive, legislative, procurement, and regulatory objectives to further client interests. While serving in government and as a practicing attorney-lobbyist, he has successfully negotiated and coordinated numerous large-scale public-private redevelopment projects in the state of New Jersey.
Courtney A. Johnson – Associate
Ms. Johnson brings to her government and regulatory affairs practice extensive experience representing clients before municipal bodies and state regulatory agencies, as well as a background in civil litigation.
For more information, visit https://www.gibbonslaw.com/practices/government-and-regulatory-affairs.
About Gibbons P.C.
With nearly 200 attorneys, Gibbons is a leading law firm in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington, DC, and Florida, recognized nationally for its work – for example, as one of only 20 law firms on the National Law Journal’s inaugural “Midsize Hot List” – as well as regionally. The New Jersey Law Journal has awarded Gibbons a “Litigation Practice of the Year” designation four times in recent years, in the class actions, products liability, and commercial litigation categories and with the overall “General Litigation Practice of the Year” honor. Law360 has highlighted the firm’s multidisciplinary litigation strength, and its contributions to several high-profile corporate and real estate transactions in the public and private sectors, in its “Regional Powerhouse” series. For the past four years, Gibbons was selected one of the top three law firms and lobbying firms in New Jersey in the NJBIZ Reader Ranking Awards. The firm has been certified as a great workplace by the independent analysts at the Great Place to Work® organization. For more information, visit gibbonslaw.com.
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