Gibbons Director Lawrence Lustberg Honored by the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey

The firm and/or the attorneys referenced have been selected for the recognitions mentioned herein, which have been conferred by the corresponding publications and/or organizations noted. An overview of the award selection methodologies for these recognitions can be found at https://www.gibbonslaw.com/awards. Links to certain specific methodologies are embedded in individual entries. Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Lawrence S. Lustberg, Chair of the Criminal Defense Department at Gibbons P.C. and Director of the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law, was the recipient of the 2015 Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey (AFB-NJ) William J. Brennan, Jr. Award. Mr. Lustberg received his award at the 39th Annual Brennan Dinner on June 18, 2015 at Mayfair Farms in West Orange, New Jersey.

The William J. Brennan, Jr. Award is given annually by the AFB-NJ to recognize outstanding jurists and attorneys. The AFB-NJ is a resource enabling interaction between the federal courts and practitioners in New Jersey on matters of mutual interest. In addition to Mr. Lustberg, three other Gibbons attorneys have received the Brennan Award: Michael R. Griffinger, a Director in the Gibbons Business & Commercial Litigation Department (2010); James R. Zazzali, Retired Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court (2008); and John J. Gibbons, former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1990).

“This award recognizes those attorneys who, through their outstanding careers, have made a significant impact on the legal profession and justice system. Larry exemplifies the attributes and qualities worthy of the Brennan Award,” said Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons.

Building on his experience in the Office of the Federal Defender for the District of New Jersey, where he served as an Assistant Public Defender between 1985 and 1990, and relying on his insight from that experience, Mr. Lustberg has broad, substantive experience in such areas as securities, antitrust, and many other white collar criminal issues, including tax and pension fraud, political corruption, and government procurement impropriety. He also handles non-white collar matters, providing round-the-clock, interdisciplinary service for corporate or individual clients who find themselves, family members, or colleagues confronting law enforcement in other contexts. As the Director of the Gibbons Fellowship, Mr. Lustberg is responsible for the scope of the Fellowship’s work and the breadth of issues it addresses. While “public interest” and “constitutional law” encompass a necessarily broad range of concerns, Mr. Lustberg has defined the focus of the Fellowship and its goal of affecting change in any way possible to provide access to the legal system for those who might not necessarily have it, all while improving the system for everyone.

Last month, Mr. Lustberg was inducted into the inaugural class of New Jersey Law Journal Lifetime Achievement Award Winners. New Jersey Law Journal also named him “Lawyer of the Year” for 2013 in recognition of his work in winning the right to marriage for same-sex couples in New Jersey, and he was included in the inaugural Star Ledger Inside Jersey’s “100+ Club.” He is the former president of both the AFB-NJ and Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, the latter of which awarded him with their highest honor – the Honorable Lawrence A. Whipple Memorial Award. He has been the recipient of numerous honors from organizations such as the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, ACLU of New Jersey, Legal Services of New Jersey, Garden State Equality, Partners for Women and Justice, and Essex County Bar Association, among many others. Mr. Lustberg has long been recognized in Woodward/White Best Lawyers®, Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyers, and U.S. Lawyer Ranking as a top 10 lawyer in the field of criminal defense.