Joanita N. Gakami is an Associate with Reavis Page Jump LLP.  She counsels and represents clients in labor and employment law matters, managing cases from inception to resolution.  Her background encompasses largely defense-side commercial and employment litigation experience, including contract, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and whistleblower claims.  Ms. Gakami’s strengths include general commercial litigation, corporate and agency investigations and enforcement proceedings, employment and labor hearings, and alternate dispute resolutions.  She is also skilled in corporate compliance and personnel/managerial trainings, as well as the preparation of the full range of transactional employment and corporate policy documentation.

Prior to her work at RPJ, Ms. Gakami was an Associate with major corporate defense law firms where she worked in Labor, Employment & Workforce Management, as well as Health Care, Life Sciences & Employment Law.  Ms. Gakami was a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Steven C. Mannion of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and a Student Advocate for the Southern District of New York, Mediation Practicum during law school.

Ms. Gakami is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.  Ms. Gakami is also a certified Mediator through the Social Justice Mediation Institute.

Ms. Gakami received her undergraduate degree in Philosophy and the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College (B.A., Honors, 2013) and her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law (J.D., 2018).

Ms. Gakami has been recognized for both her academic achievements and her service work. In terms of academic honors, Ms. Gakami has received:

• The Seton Hall Law Leadership Fellows Humanitarian Award (Recipient)
• The Seton Hall Law Chancellor Law Scholarship (Recipient)
• The Seton Hall Law Dorothy Day Scholar (Named)
• The Seton Hall Law Richman Law Scholarship (Recipient)
• The Seton Hall Law Ambrosio-Gordon Law Scholarship (Recipient)
• The Seton Hall Law Leadership Fellow (Recipient)

Additionally, Ms. Gakami is involved in many professional and community organizations devoted to service, including:

• New Jersey Women’s Law Forum (Member, Law School Representative)
• MISS Representation (Social Action Representative)
  • Social campaign that aims to empower women and girls to challenge limiting gender stereotypes, in order to fully realize their potential and also create lasting cultural and sociological change that will lead to more opportunities for future generations of women
• Solar Sister (Board Member)
  • Organization which invests in women’s clean energy in off-grid communities in Africa
• Massai Girls Education and Empowerment (President and Co-Founder)
  • Organization which supplements the educational experiences of gifted students in Loitokitok, Kenya
• Women’s City Club of New York; now, Women Creating Change (Member, Public Policy Fellow)

In terms of honors related to her service, Ms. Gakami has also been recognized for her work with the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance as a Country Representative, her service work for the Rotary Club of Barnstable, and her work with youths at the Massai Education Discovery.

Ms. Gakami is proud to be fluent in both Kiswahili and Maasai.

Selected Articles & Publications

• “The Department of Labor Rule Increasing Exempt Employee Salary Threshold Has Gone into Effect | RPJ Law” RPJ – July 11, 2024