CSG Law and Jason Holt Honored with NEBLSA Awards
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (CSG Law) congratulates Jason Holt, Chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, on his recent recognition by the Northeast Black Law Students Association’s (NEBLSA) Regional Convention as one of NEBLSA’s 57 Most Influential Black Attorneys. Established in 2024, this award honors the achievements and contributions of Black attorneys who have made a significant impact in the legal profession and communities.
CSG Law was also awarded the NEBLSA Firm Award for 2024-2025 for their ongoing support of NEBLSA, furthering the firm’s commitment to creating opportunities for diversity in the legal field. In September, CSG Law hosted NEBLSA’s New Jersey Academic Retreat at the firm’s Roseland headquarters, which brought together students from the state’s law schools to discuss academic and professional development and hear from keynote speakers and attorneys, including Holt.
Since 1968, NEBLSA has operated under the National Black Law Students Association and hosts more than 1,000 Black law and pre-law students across 42 chapters from New Jersey to Maine.
Jason Holt, a Member with the firm’s Real Estate Group, is a seasoned attorney with more than two decades of experience in local government, municipal law, and fiscal management. He has played key roles in the revitalization of Atlantic City, managing its $240 million budget and negotiating hundreds of millions in tax appeals. Jason has also advised on major redevelopment projects and enhanced policing techniques in East Orange, contributing to record-breaking crime reductions. He has served in numerous influential legal roles, including as Corporation Counsel, Municipal Court Judge, and Deputy Legislative Counsel.
More recently, Jason was recognized for his advocacy on behalf of 19 Black soldiers who were executed more than a century ago following a deeply flawed trial marred by racism in the wake of the Houston Riot of 1917. Jason is a descendant of Pfc. Thomas Coleman Hawkins, who was among the first 13 soldiers killed, and, for many years, he has sought to set the record straight for Pfc. Hawkins and his comrades. As a result of the efforts of Jason and others, the U.S. Army finally overturned the mutiny convictions in November 2023, and granted clemency to more than a hundred Black soldiers in connection with this incident including those executed.
Jason is also the recipient of the Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s Michael R. Griffinger Volunteer of the Year Award (2024) and Volunteer of the Month (2022), the Certificate of Special United States Congressional Recognition for Civil Rights and was included in The Top 100 National Black Lawyers (2021).
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Visit csglaw.com/award-methodology for additional details on the selection process for the above-mentioned recognitions. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.