One of the ways Gibbons attracts and retains its top-tier workforce is through such initiatives as the Gibbons Experience, a generous benefits program that provides something for everyone.
Each employee is different, and the Gibbons Experience addresses individual needs that go beyond traditional benefits and, significantly, encourages employee retention.
For example, after parental leave, an attorney can opt to return to work first on a 60 percent basis of the hours expected of a full-time attorney, and after one year on an 80 percent basis for an indefinite period of time. These policies do not affect an attorney’s ability to be promoted – in fact, the firm has promoted part-time attorneys to the posts of Director and Counsel. Additionally, Gibbons supports an emergency child care program, sharing the cost for this service each day it is used.
Gibbons also helps professionals achieve work/life balance through technology that provides the flexibility to work remotely as necessary, allowing employees to connect seamlessly to the firm’s network and all other technology capabilities. One application allows employees to have calls automatically forwarded to smartphones, home phones, or other locations. Gibbons also outfits personnel with laptops, or with the appropriate software, for remote access.
The Gibbons Experience is built on a foundation of such traditional workplace benefits as health, dental, life, and long-term disability insurance; 401(k) and profit-sharing plans; vacation and personal days and floating holidays; flexible spending accounts for medical, daycare, transit, and parking expenses; health and wellness programs, including Weight Watchers at Work, gym memberships, annual health fairs, and flu shots; and a wide-ranging corporate perks program providing significant discounts to local retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues, as well as for products and services from such vendors as Microsoft and Verizon.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
The more customized benefits of the Gibbons Experience include, for example, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides confidential counseling and referrals to all employees, as well as members of their households, and complimentary, immediate access to licensed psychologists, social workers, alcohol and drug counselors, and marriage and family counselors.
In addition, the firm’s Personal Health Advocate service helps employees successfully navigate the complicated healthcare and health insurance systems, on behalf of themselves or family members. Highly trained clinical, benefits, and claims experts, with extensive experience working with healthcare providers, insurance plans, and related healthcare organizations, help employees and family members resolve a wide range of complex issues.
Notable Awards & Recognition
The Gibbons Experience has earned the firm extensive recognition as an outstanding employer.
NJBIZ
“Best Places to Work” (Large Company category) for the 18th consecutive year
Great Place to Work®/Fortune (certified every year participated, since 2016)
#31 Best Medium Workplaces in the U.S.
#27 Best Consulting and Professional Services Workplaces
#18 Best Workplaces in New York
#18 Best Workplaces for Women
Vault/Minority Corporate Counsel Association Annual Survey
#17 Best Law Firms for Diversity for Women
#20 Best Law Firms to Work For
#28 Best Law Firms by Region – Mid-Atlantic
Profiles in Diversity Journal
Award of Excellence: GDI Clerkship to Associate Pipeline (CAP) Program
Working Mother Magazine
“Best Law Firms for Women” Hall of Fame
Employee Appreciation Events
The Gibbons Experience also includes a number of employee appreciation events that provide Gibbons personnel opportunities to socialize, relax, and otherwise enjoy downtime at work or with work colleagues.
These events, hosted throughout the year, consist of, among others, holiday BBQs, a week-long Saint Patrick’s Day celebration, and a holiday party in December.
Professional Development
Professional development is an additional component of the Gibbons Experience. Gibbons devotes substantial time and resources to the training and development of all its lawyers through the Gibbons Academy, our comprehensive, on-site curriculum for ongoing development of legal and related skills, devised by senior attorneys and administered by dedicated professional staff.
Our training programs provide associates with increased director-level contact and help broaden their substantive knowledge on selected topics and learn valuable skills that will improve their practices. The firm’s mentoring programs formalize the relationship between senior and junior attorneys and provide a means for the firm’s next generation to gain insight and assistance from more established attorneys. Junior attorneys develop action plans covering the areas on which they would like to focus, and mentors assist them in reaching their goals through monthly meetings and other activities.
Gibbons Leadership Academy
We also recognize the importance of leadership training to ensure the firm’s continuity. Toward this end, we teach the next generation and then pass on to them leadership roles at Gibbons, including on the firm’s Executive Committee and as Practice Group Leaders and Chief Administrative Officers.
In 2011, we launched the Gibbons Leadership Academy (GLA), a high-level program to identify our next generation of leaders and equip them with leading-edge techniques and practical instruction, to help them advance their careers to partnership and beyond and guide the firm into the future. The GLA platform imparts the most valuable tactical and strategic instruction for raising their professional profiles, developing new business, providing stellar client service, effectively overseeing complex matters, and, eventually, honing the management and executive skills they need to successfully run the firm.