Three Prominent Gibbons Attorneys Honored by New Jersey Law Journal with First Annual Lifetime Achievement Awards

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.

Three prominent Gibbons P.C. attorneys were inducted into the inaugural class of New Jersey Law Journal Lifetime Achievement Award Winners at a special event last evening. Gibbons is well-represented on this list, with three of the 25 selected attorneys hailing from the firm.

The Gibbons attorneys who earned Lifetime Achievement Awards are Christine A. Amalfe, Chair of the firm’s Employment & Labor Law Department; Lawrence S. Lustberg, Chair of the firm’s Criminal Defense Department; and James R. Zazzali, Former Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and Of Counsel at Gibbons.

“The fact that we have three attorneys among only 25 statewide on this list demonstrates the exceptional depth of legal talent at Gibbons and our longstanding commitment to making a positive impact on the profession,” said Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons. “We are proud of the professional, charitable, and civic accomplishments that earned Chris, Larry, and Jim their Lifetime Achievement Awards.”

Through its Lifetime Achievement Awards, the New Jersey Law Journal celebrates individuals who have helped to shape the legal industry in New Jersey through their work on the bench, at law firms, with legal services organizations, or by other means. Readers were invited to nominate any attorney who has left a significant mark on New Jersey’s legal history. The Law Journal also consulted other trusted members of the legal community, as well as its seasoned reporting staff, to nominate those whom they thought were worthy of recognition. Honorees include attorneys from law firms, law schools, and nonprofits throughout the state, as well as judges, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

Christine A. Amalfe
At Gibbons, Ms. Amalfe defends single plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, and class claims under state and federal employment laws, and she conducts employment counseling and training for corporate clients. She is listed among the region’s leading employment lawyers by Woodward/White Best Lawyers®, Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, and Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyers, which lists her among the top 100 attorneys and top 50 female attorneys in the state. In addition, Ms. Amalfe has been listed as a “State Litigation Star” in Benchmark Litigation, named one of the “Best 50 Women in Business” in NJBIZ, and featured as one of Profiles in Diversity Journal’s “Women Worth Watching.” She was elected an At-Large Trustee of the New Jersey State Bar Association and serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the NJSBA’s Labor & Employment Law Section. A co-founder of the internationally recognized Gibbons Women’s Initiative, Ms. Amalfe has served as president of the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) Foundation and as a Trustee of the NJSBA’s Women in the Profession section. Previously, the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association presented her with its Women’s Initiative & Leaders in Law (WILL) Platinum Award for her work supporting the advancement of women in the legal profession, and the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University has also recognized her efforts.

Lawrence S. Lustberg
In addition to chairing the Gibbons Criminal Defense Department, Mr. Lustberg is a longtime Director of the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law, which litigates historic, cutting-edge civil rights and civil liberties cases. Mr. Lustberg is the former president of both the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey and Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, the latter of which recently awarded him with their highest honor – the Honorable Lawrence A. Whipple Memorial Award. Mr. Lustberg was also named “Lawyer of the Year” for 2013 by the New Jersey Law Journal, 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 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. He has long been recognized in Woodward/White Best Lawyers®, which in the 2014 edition named him White Collar “Lawyer of the Year”; by Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyers, which in its most recent edition named him a top 10 lawyer in New Jersey, and which previously awarded him its New Jersey “Appellate Lawyer of the Year”; and by U.S. Lawyer Ranking as a top 10 lawyer in the field of criminal defense.

James R. Zazzali
At Gibbons, Mr. Zazzali advises clients on such matters as corporate governance, institutional ethics, internal investigations, appeals, mediation, and arbitration. He joined Gibbons in 2007, after retiring from the bench. Mr. Zazzali had served on the Supreme Court for over six years, and had written more than 100 opinions, before Governor Jon Corzine named him Chief Justice in 2006. Prior to his service on the bench, Mr. Zazzali had served as, among other positions, general counsel for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, Chairman of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, New Jersey Attorney General, and Chief of the Appeals Division of the Office of the Essex County Prosecutor. He had also maintained a private law practice. Mr. Zazzali is a past recipient of both the Sidney H. Lehman Award from the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Medal of Honor Award from the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, as well as the Roger N. Baldwin Award from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey. He is also listed in Woodward/White Best Lawyers® in the areas of Bet-The-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation.