All We Hide – Real Life Lessons from a Legal Thriller
Date: Dec 10, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick, and Online
Member Price: $159.00
Non-Member Price: $199.00
Section Price: $0.00
Areas of Law: For All Attorneys
Earn up to 3.3 credits! (More Information)
Featured Speaker
- Robyn B. Gigl, Esq.
- Author of the Erin McCabe Series
Dilworth Paxson LLP, Freeholdis a Partner in Dilworth Paxson LLP in the firm’s Freehold, New Jersey, office. She handles complex litigation including employment law, commercial and business litigation, and white-collar criminal defense, and has more than 30 years of experience in representing clients in state and federal courts in New Jersey.
Ms. Gigl is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of New Jersey and before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. She is Past Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association LGBT Rights Section, former Vice Chair of the NJSBA Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee, and has been a member of the Association’s Women in the Profession Section and Diversity Committee. Appointed to the New Jersey Transgender Equality Task Force, she has served on the Executive Board of Garden State Equality and the Trans Affirming Alliance, and has been a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement.
Co-author of the chapter “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964” in Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation in the Workplace (BNA, 2014), Ms. Gigl has contributed articles to New Jersey Lawyer and the newsletters of the LGBT Rights Section and the Diversity Committee. She has lectured on LGBT employment and discrimination issues for ICLE, the New Jersey Judicial College, the EEOC, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey Judicial College, Rutgers University, Kean University and other organizations, and has been interviewed on NPR. Ms. Gigl has been honored by the ACLU-NJ and Pride Network for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ community, and is the recipient of several other honors. Her first novel, By Way of Sorrow, was released in March of 2021 and her second novel, Survivor’s Guilt, in January 2022.
Ms. Gigl is a graduate of Stonehill College and received her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law, where she was a member and Associate Editor of the Villanova Law Review.
Moderator
- Lawrence S. Lustberg, Esq.
- Co-Chair, White Collar & Investigations Group
FBT Gibbons, Newarkco-chairs the White Collar & Investigations Group of Gibbons P.C. in Newark, New Jersey, and is a long-time Director of the firm’s John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law, which litigates historic, cutting-edge civil rights and civil liberties cases. He is a recognized authority in constitutional and criminal law and procedure, and is responsible for many seminal federal and state court decisions in a broad range of cases.
Mr. Lustberg is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, and before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey; the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York; The District of Connecticut; the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan; the Western District of Oklahoma; the Central District of Illinois; and the District of Colorado; the United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits; and the United States Supreme Court. A Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a Lifetime Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, he is Past President of both the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey and the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey. Mr. Lustberg is also former Co-Chair of the Criminal Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association and has served on, and chaired, numerous court and government committees, and non-profit and philanthropic boards of directors. He has been Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Fund for New Jersey and a member of the New Jersey State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, for which he chaired a Subcommittee on Immigration.
Mr. Lustberg has been a member of the faculties of Seton Hall, Rutgers and New York University Law Schools, and his articles have appeared in the New Jersey Law Journal and other publications. The recipient of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey’s highest honor, the Honorable Lawrence A. Whipple Memorial Award, he is the recipient of numerous other awards and accolades, including the Award of Excellence from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the Roger N. Baldwin Civil Liberties Award from the ACLU of New Jersey, the Debevoise-Eakely Award and Board Service Award from Legal Services of New Jersey, the Equality Hall of Fame Award from Garden State Equality and the Partners in Hope Award from Partners for Women and Justice. In 2013 the New Jersey Law Journal named him “Lawyer of the Year” in large part for his work to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey.
Mr. Lustberg received his B.A, magna cum laude, from Harvard College, and was the recipient of the International Graduate School Fellowship at the University of Stockholm. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and clerked for the Honorable H. Lee Sarokin, United States District Judge.
(9/23)
Presenters
- Wanda M. Akin, Esq.
- Wanda M. Akin & Associates, Newark
- Yolanda Ciccone
- , Metuchen
- Brian J. Neary, Esq.
- Connell Foley LLP, Roseland
“A good legal procedural asks who committed the crime. A better one asks who benefited from hiding the truth. All We Hide asks both questions and delivers satisfying answers.” – Quote from a recent review.
Join NJSBA member and award-winning author Robyn Gigl and friends for a seminar based on Robyn’s latest thriller, “All We Hide.”
First, hear directly from the author herself as Robyn is interviewed by Lawrence S. Lustberg, Co-Chair of the FBT Gibbons White Collar and Investigations Group and longtime Director of the firm’s John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law. They will delve into the plot of the book, the characters’ backgrounds and shed light on how Robyn developed the ideas for this gripping story.
Then, they will join other esteemed criminal practitioners for a discussion about the many legal issues that make this a “must read” for lawyers and a “can’t miss” seminar for CLE.
About the book: Detective Lauren Kelly hardly receives a hero’s welcome when she decides to open a 20 year old cold case looking into the murder of Sherry Darling, a trans sex worker and Lauren’s former high school classmate.
Lauren has been exiled to the county’s Cold Case Unit. Officially it’s a promotion. Unofficially it feels like a convenient place to park the county’s only openly transgender detective while avoiding accusations of discrimination. Lauren chooses to reopen the investigation despite repeated warnings that the case should stay closed.
What follows is both a whodunit and an investigation into how institutions protect themselves.
Lauren isn’t a rogue detective charging off. She is mindful of probable cause, jurisdictional tripwires, and gathering evidence that will stand up in what is, at this point, a very theoretical future trial. She has to navigate office politics, a shared computer system, skeptical supervisors, competing agencies, reluctant witnesses, and the uncomfortable possibility that corruption extends farther than anyone wants to admit.
The legal issues in the book are real: Brady violations, attorney-client privilege and communication, and a chain of evidence examination that is central to the story, to name a few.
The legal mysteries are woven in with Lauren’s personal struggles: her relationship with an ex-wife she still loves, a teenage daughter trying to navigate her parent’s transition, her own father disappearing into Alzheimer’s, and a tentative new romance. She is a detective, a parent, a daughter, and a complicated human being trying to solve a cold case while figuring out her own work-in-progress life.
Robyn will stay for a “meet and greet” and book signing after the program.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity!
Important Information About Our Events, Meetings, and More:
To secure your spot and receive important updates about our events, meetings, and other gatherings, such as schedule changes, remember to register in advance.
Digital Materials & Environmental Commitment: As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, unless otherwise noted, all seminar materials are provided as digital downloads. You can access these materials through:
- The “My Links” section at the top of our website for in-person or online events
- Or, for online programs, the event access link included in your joining instructions
Cancellation and Refund Policy:
If you need to cancel your registration and are not transferring to another program or date, please submit a written request to us at least three business days before the event, meeting, or gathering. You will receive a refund minus a $20.00 cancellation fee. No refunds or registration changes will be issued within three business days of the event, meeting, or gathering.
Professional Conduct:
All attendees and participants are expected to conduct themselves professionally and treat others with respect at NJSBA events, meetings, and gatherings. This includes courteous communication, respecting perspectives, and creating a welcoming environment for all. Failure to adhere to this policy may result in removal from the event.
Stay Informed:
Registered participants will be notified of any schedule changes. For updates regarding inclement weather, please check your email or visit NJSBA.com.
Media Consent:
By participating in our events, meetings, or other gatherings, you agree to be photographed and/or recorded. Additionally, all media content captured during these gatherings will become the property of NJSBA. This content, including your image and name, may be used in our future promotional materials without additional consent or compensation.
Scholarship & Financial Assistance Policy:
Read our Scholarship & Financial Assistance Policy and submit an Application here: https://njsba.com/njicle/cle-programs/scholarship/