Gibbons P.C. Welcomes 2024 Fall Associate Class

Gibbons P.C. is pleased to announce that seven new associates have joined the firm, bringing wide-ranging talent and experience in support of the legal and value-added services Gibbons provides to clients. All will be resident in our Newark office, except for the John J. Gibbons Fellow in Public Interest & Constitutional Law for the 2024-2026 term, who will be located in the firm’s New York office.

Consistent with the firm’s commitment to hiring the most promising new attorneys with the most relevant prior experience, the fall associate class includes former law clerks for the New Jersey Superior Court — Chancery, Civil, and Appellate Divisions, as well as the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Supreme Court.

“Our goal with every new hire is to uphold the Gibbons legacy of serving our clients with highly skilled attorneys from diverse backgrounds,” said Peter J. Torcicollo, Managing Director of the firm. “We are excited to welcome this talented class of attorneys to our culture of growth and innovation, and we look forward to the various perspectives and experiences they will bring to the table.”

The new associates, along with overviews of their experience, are listed below.

Caitlyn E. Coyle, Business & Commercial Litigation

As Law Clerk to the Honorable Jodi Alper, P.J.Ch., in the New Jersey Court of General Equity, Ms. Coyle researched substantive and procedural legal matters, prepared bench memoranda, drafted orders, and interacted with litigants regarding case management. Her past experience also includes preparing and filing pleadings, briefs, and discovery demands and responses. Ms. Coyle earned her J.D. from Rutgers Law School, where she served as a Women’s Rights Law Reporter,

Moot Court Board Executive Member, and Women’s Law Forum Vice President. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. Ms. Coyle is admitted to practice in the State of New Jersey.

Steven S. Fernandez, Business & Commercial Litigation

Mr. Fernandez is a civil and criminal litigator who focuses primarily on complex civil litigation, business disputes, government and internal investigations, and white-collar criminal defense. His civil practice involves all aspects of litigation, from fact investigations and motion practice to trial preparation and practice. His criminal practice involves representing clients in government investigations, prosecutions, and enforcement matters. Prior to joining Gibbons, Mr. Fernandez clerked for the Honorable Julien X. Neals, U.S.D.J., assisting the court in analyzing procedural issues and drafting opinions and orders on civil, criminal, and in limine motions for matters that included business disputes, securities cases, patents and trademarks actions, civil rights claims, and putative class actions. He received his J.D. from the Rutgers Law School, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board, a Rutgers Eagleton Fellowship – Governor’s Executive Fellow, and member of the Student Bar Association. He also earned an MPA from the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration and a B.A. in Political Science and Pre-Law from Montclair State University. Mr. Fernandez is admitted in New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Daniel Garcia, Business & Commercial Litigation

Mr. Garcia joins the firm with substantial law clerk experience, having completed clerkships in the Superior Court of New Jersey’s Chancery and Appellate Divisions, and, most recently, the New Jersey Supreme Court. At the latter in particular, he honed his legal skills by preparing in-depth preliminary research and bench memoranda on novel questions of public importance. While clerking in the Appellate Division, he submitted memoranda on issues of civil, criminal, and administrative law. While clerking at the trial level, he focused on matters of general equity and gained invaluable insight researching, analyzing, and calendaring motions for emergent injunctive relief. His experience includes work on contractual disputes, restrictive covenants, noncompete clauses, real property interests, and commercial and residential real estate foreclosures. Mr. Garcia completed judicial internships for the Honorable Noel L. Hillman (Ret.), United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the Honorable Terry P. Bottinelli (Ret.), Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part. He also interned for the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. Mr. Garcia received his J.D. from Rutgers Law School, where he served as Publication Editor for the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal. He received a B.A. in English and American Literature from New York University. Mr. Garcia is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Michela E. Gatto, Employment & Labor Law

Ms. Gatto brings valuable appellate experience to the firm, having recently clerked for the Honorable Catherine I. Enright, J.A.C., Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division. In this role, she drafted opinions and memos on a wide range of civil and criminal legal issues. Her experience also includes an internship in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office’s Appeals Bureau, where she drafted appellate briefs relating to criminal law matters, as well as an internship at the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, where she gained valuable insight into trial preparation. Ms. Gatto earned her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law (cum laude), where she served as the Comments Editor, Seton Hall Legislative Journal, Vol. 47, and her B.A. from the University of Delaware. Ms. Gatto is admitted to practice in New Jersey, with admission pending in New York.

Bassam F. Gergi, Business & Commercial Litigation

Mr. Gergi is a versatile litigator and problem solver who handles a wide range of complex civil and criminal matters. He draws on his experience in federal and state courts as well as the public and private sectors in representing his clients. He has managed both single-plaintiff and class action litigation, and he has assisted clients with internal investigations into allegations of misconduct. Mr. Gergi joins Gibbons after having completed a clerkship with the Honorable Georgette Castner, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, where he drafted opinions on challenging legal issues, including constitutional questions, toxic torts, construction disputes, and ERISA. He had clerked previously for Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, the New Jersey Supreme Court, where he worked on civil and criminal appeals. Prior to joining Gibbons, Mr. Gergi spent two years in private practice in New York City, representing presidential campaigns, universities, newspapers, and sports leagues in a variety of employment-related matters. He also spent three years as a civil rights attorney at Fair Share Housing Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He was the lead attorney on dozens of fair housing cases and helped craft New Jersey’s groundbreaking Fair Chance in Housing Act, which limits the use of criminal records against prospective tenants. He earned a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as the Student Director of the Legislative Advocacy Clinic. Mr. Gergi earned an M.Phil. in Politics and Comparative Government at the University of Oxford, St. Antony’s College, and a B.A. in History (First Class Honors) from the University of London, King’s College. Mr. Gergi is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York.

Madhulika Murali, Gibbons Fellowship

Ms. Murali is the John J. Gibbons Fellow in Public Interest & Constitutional Law for the 2024-2026 term. Prior to joining the firm, she served as the legal coordinator of the Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC), one of the country’s preeminent civil rights organizations, where she acted as the primary liaison between the FHJC and renowned civil rights firms, strategized with counsel in federal, state, and administrative litigation, negotiated damages and injunctive relief in mediations and settlement conferences, and more. She was also a Masiyiwa-Bernstein Fellow with the Community Justice Project, a position where she was involved in challenging anti-protest legislation, as well as in federal immigrants’ rights litigation, and in legal and policy research regarding issues concerning budget divestment and investment with human rights nonprofits in Florida. Ms. Murali earned an LL.M. from New York University School of Law and a B.A., Jurisprudence: LL.B. equivalent, from the University of Oxford. Ms. Murali is admitted to practice in New York.

Asia J. Norton, Real Property

Ms. Norton brings experience in land use, municipal, property tax, landlord/tenant, and Fair Housing Act matters. Previously, she analyzed state and federal environmental laws and regulations and helped develop and implement policies and guidelines for environmental protection and conservation for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Legal and Regulatory Affairs Division. Just prior to joining Gibbons, Ms. Norton clerked for the Honorable Sheila A. Venable, Assignment Judge for the Essex County Superior Court of New Jersey. Ms. Norton earned her J.D. from Rutgers Law School where she was a Graduate Fellow for the Eagleton Institute of Politics, a Civil Justice Clinic Fellow, and a Student Attorney for the Rutgers Housing Justice & Tenant Solidarity Clinic. She earned an M.A. in Sociology and Education from Columbia University and a B.A. in Africana Studies, with a minor in Philosophy, from Simmons College. Ms. Norton is admitted in the State of New Jersey.