VLJ’s Uniting for Justice Gala
Celebrating 25 Years

Tuesday, October 6, 2026
5:30 – 8:30 PM

The Park Savoy Estate
236 Ridgedale Ave
Florham Park, NJ 07932 

FBT Gibbons LLP is a leading national law firm serving clients ranging from mid-sized businesses to multinational corporations and growth-oriented startups operating in or investing in middle markets. A service-oriented organization at its core, FBT Gibbons is committed to being both a powerful advocate for its clients and a difference maker in its local and global communities. The firm’s work is grounded in a strong sense of civic responsibility, and one of the ways it honors this responsibility is by devoting thousands of hours each year to pro bono.

In 2000, Michael R. Griffinger, with then Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione, and partners from McCarter & English, LLP and the Essex County Bar Association, saw the legal services offices in Essex County were overwhelmed with requests for assistance. Realizing the untapped resource of the private bar, they began conversations and work that laid the foundation for what would become “Volunteer Lawyers for Justice” (or more commonly, “VLJ”).

Twenty-five years later, the firm’s commitment to pro bono and access to justice is as strong as ever: since 2001, more than 170 FBT Gibbons attorneys have volunteered with VLJ, handling over 1,100 legal matters and contributing 7,200 plus hours with a value of service exceeding $2.6 million.

In 2014, working with partners from PSEG and McCarter & English, the firm helped launch VLJ’s Military Legal Assistance Program (now the Veterans Legal Program), the first of its kind in New Jersey. The program assists veterans with child support modifications, criminal record expungements, driver’s license restoration, estate planning, eviction defense, and other civil legal issues that impeded veterans’ safety, security, and stability. That same spirit of collaboration has seen the firm support VLJ’s efforts with the annual EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day, an industry-wide day of pro bono service bringing together in-house legal teams from electric and utility companies along with law firm and civil legal aid partners.

In 2024, recognizing the firm’s ongoing enthusiastic embrace of pro bono, VLJ nominated then-Gibbons P.C. and our Veterans Legal Program partners for the Pro Bono Institute’s CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award, with the group winning the award. That award was not the first or last the firm would receive for their dedication to pro bono. Several firm staff have been nominated by VLJ and won awards, including the New Jersey State Bar Association (Mary Frances Palisano in 2015 and Michael R. Griffinger with the Lifetime Pro Bono Achievement Award in 2020), the Essex County Bar Association’s Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award (the firm in 2009 and Mary Frances Palisano in 2020), and the New Jersey Legal Awards “Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year” (Kevin Gilmore in 2025). VLJ has also been fortunate to have several FBT Gibbons attorneys serve on our board of trustees.

It is with twenty-five years of partnership and excellence that VLJ honors FBT Gibbons with the Champion of Justice Award, which recognizes a law firm, corporation, or individual that has demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing access to justice through pro bono service. This award honors those who lead by example, mobilizing talent and resources, responding to urgent legal needs, and using their influence to create meaningful change in the community.

From the early days of VLJ to supporting families in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, veterans returning home from service, children seeking the educational services they need and deserve, community members working to move beyond their criminal records, or households facing eviction, FBT Gibbons has been a powerful champion of justice in New Jersey.

Help Volunteer Lawyers for Justice celebrate FBT Gibbons LLP and our 25th anniversary by purchasing tickets, sponsorships, and/or event journal ads.

Since 2001, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) has handled more than 17,400 legal cases impacting over 38,000 people. This was made possible by VLJ’s staff and more than 2,500 volunteers who donated 87,565 hours—equivalent to nearly 10 years of service—valued at $30.9 million.

Your support empowers justice.