COVER STORY
Raising the Bar , Breaking the Glass Ceiling : Women ’ s History Month
Two of the state ’ s largest law firms are now headed by women .
By Diane C . Walsh Contributing Editor
New Jersey has more attorneys per capita than almost any state . With 98,000 men and women admitted to the bar , it ’ s fertile ground for the profession . Yet only a handful of women have been elected to the prestigious role of managing partner at big firms . Some say it is because the law embraces change very slowly . Look at how long most firms took to eliminate their law libraries , despite the technological advances that made them obsolete .
While female executives in the corporate world appear to be advancing at a faster pace than women attorneys , there are signs that the barriers in the legal industry are toppling .
Two of the state ’ s biggest firms , Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi ( CSG Law ) and Cole Schotz started 2022 by naming women to oversee their day-to-day operations for the first time . Patricia Costello , the former assignment judge of Essex County , was selected as the managing member at CSG Law and Randi W . Kochman , one of the state ’ s leading attorneys in employment law , was named co-managing shareholder at Cole Schotz P . C .
CSG realized Costello honed valuable skills running the state ’ s busiest courthouse , which more than prepared her to oversee a firm of 174 lawyers and 117 support staff . When she presided as assignment judge , Costello managed a $ 55 million budget and supervised all the county ’ s trial and municipal courts , as well as 1,000 employees .
Frank Giantomasi , a member of the firm ’ s executive committee , said Costello has “ exceptional management style .” He added , “ We feel tremendously lucky to have her leading CSG Law at this pivotal time for the firm .”
Kochman ’ s colleagues also count themselves as fortunate . “ Randi is an accomplished leader and dedicated mentor , who has made meaningful and impactful contributions to our culture and growth since starting her legal career here nearly 30 years ago ,” said Warren A . Usatine , who is co-managing shareholder with Kochman and Samuel Weiner .
Cole Schotz provided an excellent environment for Kochman ’ s professional development . She considers her colleagues and clients part of her family . “ I feel grateful and honored to be given such a responsibility . It ’ s wonderful to have your colleagues ’ trust ,” she said .
CSG Law Managing Member Patricia Costello
Costello showed the mettle that makes her a proven leader when Essex County was down 11 judges from its roster of 60 . “ We eventually prevailed upon the Chief Justice to understand that the people in Essex County were not being served the same way as people in the more affluent white suburban counties were . They were waiting longer for child support hearings . They were waiting longer for divorces , for resolutions of criminal proceedings , for everything ,” she said .
Relief came when new judges from elsewhere in the state were temporarily assigned to Essex as reinforcements and Costello shut down the Civil Division to keep Family and Criminal running . These two factors and the resulting pressure from the bar caused then-Gov . Chris Christie and the State Senators to break the logjam over judicial appointments .
Costello has been known to meet challenges head-on throughout her career . After graduating from Rutgers Law School and clerking for a judge , she hoped to land a job in the Hudson County Prosecutor ’ s Office . “ But I was told that they already had one woman and they were only hiring one at a time ,” she recalled .
It did not deter her . “ Throughout your career , a lot of roadblocks might be thrown in your path . The only way to handle it is to leap over them , run around them and don ’ t let them derail you ,” Costello said .
Her first job was with Dennis McAlevy , a prominent defense lawyer . “ He treated me as an equal and mentored me and I was trying cases
Cole Schotz Co-Managing Shareholder Randi W . Kochman
long before I would have in the prosecutor ’ s office ,” she said . Costello stayed with the firm for 10 years , until she was tapped for the bench .
Some colleagues cautioned her that the nomination was too early in her career . “ But opportunities like that don ’ t come around twice ,” Costello said . Also , with two children under 15 months at the time , the stability of the judiciary appealed to her . Ironically , three years later her husband , Thomas Olivieri , became a judge too ( Costello said their children used to tease them that the only thing worse than being the minister ’ s children is to be the judges ’ kids ).
She spent the first 15 years of her judicial career in Hudson County , serving in the Criminal Division , and as supervising judge of the Special Civil Part and later Presiding Judge of the Family Division . Costello was named Assignment Judge of Essex County in 2004 .
Costello retired from the bench in 2015 and six months later joined CSG Law , where her practice focused on arbitration and mediation . She is looking forward to new challenges as the managing member .
Kochman was hired by Cole Scholtz as a summer associate in 1994 and offered a permanent position when she graduated from The George Washington University School of Law the next year . In her practice she is dedicated to helping employers understand and navigate complicated and ever-changing employment laws so they can effectively manage employees , avoid costly mistakes and focus on their core business .
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