Gibbons Earns National Pro Bono Award

“The outstanding quality of the service Gibbons attorneys provide to clients is matched by the exceptional dedication of those same attorneys to working in the public interest and giving back to their communities,” says Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of the firm. “Among the award’s main criteria is ‘commitment to disadvantaged, disenfranchised, or other under-represented individuals or groups,’ which Gibbons attorneys have displayed with remarkable skill and heart dating back to the firm’s earliest days.”

The firm’s qualifications for the award are best summarised by the letters of support submitted on behalf of Gibbons to the awards committee. Cathy Keenan, Executive Director of Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ), noted:

Gibbons contributes significantly to the needs of the most vulnerable in our community, particularly veterans, families with special-needs children, and those in criminal reentry. Gibbons attorneys donate their time and expertise at limited scope legal clinics where they counsel veterans on how resolve outstanding suspensions and restore their driving privileges, leading to gainful employment, family reunification, and productive citizenship. Additionally, Gibbons launched a monthly expungement clinic with VLJ in 2015 for volunteers to evaluate criminal backgrounds for expungement record clearing and represent pro bono clients deemed eligible for this life-changing relief.

Ms Keenan also quoted a VLJ client: “I appreciate the time and effort put into my case. It did not matter that it was pro bono. My attorney assured me that she would put in as many hours as needed to bring my Due Process petition to a positive resolution.”

A more recently forged pro bono relationship, led by the Gibbons Diversity Initiative, is the firm’s partnership with the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL), as part of its “Small Businesses Need Us” programme, which assists women and minority small business owners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Jill Johnson, CEO of IFEL, stated in her recommendation in support of the firm’s nomination:

In 2020, Gibbons P.C. dedicated 624 hours of focused, impactful legal pro bono work at a value of over USD 249,000 in support of the Small Businesses Need Us program … Gibbons P.C. has helped a diverse cross-section of high-potential IFEL entrepreneurs to solve difficult problems and in the process, to survive and move closer to thriving going forward.

Ms Johnson included in her letter remarks by appreciative clients, such as: “They gave me real peace-of-mind, so I could focus on my customers and react to the changing business landscape that all business owners are facing today … Their followthrough and genuine interest in my challenges [were] apparent, and I really felt like they cared about me and the success of my business.”

Gibbons supports two highly regarded, active pro bono programmes – the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest and Constitutional Law and the Gibbons Cares pro bono platform. The renowned Gibbons Fellowship can tackle a huge range of important issues, including issues of national and statewide magnitude, and provide the resources and continuity of personnel to pursue projects to conclusion, fully funding the employment of two Gibbons Fellows serving overlapping, two-year terms. Meanwhile, the firm’s traditional pro bono programme focuses in a few key areas of need in the firm’s local communities, including expungement and reentry, domestic violence, asylum, traffcking, veterans’ issues, tenants’ rights, and special education.

For more on the Gibbons pro bono programmes, please see gibbonslaw.com.