Legal Services of New Jersey Honors Gibbons Director Russell Bershad with Equal Justice Award

This attorney has 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.

Russell B. Bershad, a Director in the Gibbons Real Property Group, has been awarded an Equal Justice Medal as a major contributor of pro bono legal assistance to clients of Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ), specifically those referred by one of its local affiliates, Northeast New Jersey Legal Services (NNJLS). Honorees from across the state were recognized at the Equal Justice Awards Reception on June 7 at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.

Located in Edison, New Jersey, LSNJ is the coordinating office for the state’s system of Legal Services programs, which provide essential legal aid in civil matters to low-income people in all of the state’s 21 counties. LSNJ partners with the American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, and the New Jersey State Bar Association in assisting lower-income New Jersey residents with various legal matters. NNJLS provides legal representation and education to low-income, senior, and disabled residents of Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic counties. Last year, Mr. Bershad successfully represented NNJLS in connection with the proposed lease for its new office space, in which it now resides. As he was familiar with and supportive of NNJLS’s work, Mr. Bershad handled the matter pro bono. In recognition of his work on this project, NNJLS presented Mr. Bershad with an Excellence in Service Award at its annual pro bono celebration in November 2021; the statewide parent organization is now honoring him as well.

Mr. Bershad is a Director in the Gibbons Real Property Group. He is the immediate Past Chair of the Group, which he led for over 15 years, and continues to head its transactional real estate practice. He has been a commercial real estate attorney for more than 40 years and has been the lead attorney on some of the most significant real estate transactions in New Jersey. In addition to his extensive experience focusing on acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, financing, and development projects, Mr. Bershad has broad experience regarding tax abatements and redevelopment area bonds financing.

Mr. Bershad is one of 14 “Band 1” real estate attorneys in New Jersey recognized in the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. In addition, Mr. Bershad was designated in Woodward/White Best Lawyers® as the “Real Estate Lawyer of the Year” in the Newark region for 2017 and has been included in the list of Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyers in real estate for over a dozen years. He has been listed in for many years and is one of a select group of New Jersey lawyers elected for membership in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.