Jason Holt Named to National Bar Association’s Hall of Fame
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi (CSG Law) congratulates Jason Holt, Co-Chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, on his recent induction into the National Bar Association’s (NBA) Fred D. Gray Hall of Fame as part of the organization’s centennial celebration.
Named after Fred D. Gray, a prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement who represented Claudette Colvin, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. in the Montgomery Bus Boycott as well as the victims of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the Hall of Fame recognizes legal trailblazers whose work has shaped the profession and strengthened communities. Each inductee exemplifies a lifetime of excellence in advocacy, service, and the pursuit of justice.
Jason Holt, a Member with the firm’s Real Estate Group, is a seasoned attorney with more than 25 years of experience in local government, municipal law, fiscal management and currently represents water utility authorities and municipalities. 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 urban municipalities. He has held numerous influential legal roles including Corporation Counsel, Township Solicitor, Municipal Court Judge, and Deputy Legislative Counsel for both the State and County.
Jason has garnered significant recognition in recent years for his advocacy on behalf of 110 Black soldiers who were wrongly convicted – 19 of whom were executed – more than a century ago following a deeply flawed trial marred by Jim Crow-era prejudice in the wake of the Houston Tragedy of 1917. Jason is a descendant of Pfc. Thomas Coleman Hawkins, who was among the first 13 soldiers executed, and, for many years, he 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 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’s other recent awards include: the Living Legends Awards for Service to Humanity (2025); ROI-NJ’s Influencers: Power List – Law (2025); the Northeast Black Law Students Association’s 57 Most Influential Black Attorneys (2025); Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s Michael R. Griffinger Volunteer of the Year Award (2024); and Volunteer of the Month (2022); ROI-NJ, Influencers: People of Color (2020-2021; 2023-2024); New Jersey Law Journal, Diverse Attorneys of the Year (2023); ROI-NJ, Influencers: Diversity & Inclusion (2022); and the Certificate of Special United States Congressional Recognition for Civil Rights. Jason has also been named to The Top 100 National Black Lawyers (2021-2025).
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.