Jo Gbujama
Associate / Chicago

P: 312-881-5991

jgbujama@goldmanismail.com Save as PDF

Jo represents clients in complex and high-stakes civil litigation. He has experience in multiple stages of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, motion practice, and trial preparation. He has argued motions in court and first-chaired settlement negotiations on behalf of his clients.

Jo has held leadership roles in several bar associations and is a co-founder and board member of the Bridging the Gap Scholarship, a non-profit that provides scholarships and mentorship to diverse prospective law students. Jo has been named to the National Bar Association’s Power 100 List and received several awards for his community involvement. He also plays basketball through bar association basketball leagues and regularly demonstrates his capacity to handle business in any court.

Jo joined Goldman Ismail after completing a federal clerkship at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. During his clerkship, Jo handled several high-profile cases, prepared draft orders on dispositive motions, and assisted his judge in presiding over eight civil and criminal jury trials. Prior to his clerkship, Jo was a labor and employment attorney and pro bono coordinator at a leading international law firm. Jo graduated from the Washington University School of Law, where he served as an Executive Articles Editor of the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, a competitor in the Wiley Rutledge Moot Court Competition, president of Phi Alpha Delta, a board member of the Black Law Students Association, and a Commencement Speaker. He earned his B.A. in Philosophy Law/Society and Ethnic Studies, cum laude, from the University of California, Riverside.

*Not licensed to practice law in Illinois*

    • Associate, Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP
    • Associate, Littler Mendelson, P.C.
    • Washington University School of Law (J.D., Certificate in Public Interest Law)
      • Nordhal and Suzanne Brue Scholar in Law Award
      • Legal Practice Award for Excellence in Oral Advocacy
      • Dean’s Service Award for Pro Bono
      • PracticePro 1L Diversity Scholar
    • University of California, Riverside (B.A., Philosophy Law/Society, Ethnic Studies, cum laude)
      • Chancellor’s List Honors
      • Sumi Harada Award in Ethnic Studies
      • Nathan Alex Irving Award for Leadership
    • Honorable Sharon Johnson Coleman, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
    • Co-Founder and Board Member, Bridging the Gap Scholarship, Inc.
    • Past Co-Chair, Professional Development Committee, Young Lawyers Division, National Bar Association
    • Member, Black Men Lawyers’ Association
    • Affirming Personhood: Extending Title VII Protections for Prisoners in State-Operated Prison Industries Wash. U. L. Rev. Online May 2021
    • Keynote Speaker, University of California, Riverside Black Graduation, May 2024
    • Preserving Black Brilliance Award, University of California, Riverside, Black Alumni Chapter, February 2023
    • Lindbergh Porter Pro Bono Champion Award, Littler Mendelson, P.C., January 2023
    • Power 100 List, National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, September 2022
    • State of California
  • Selected Presentations

    • A Conversation with Federal Judges: Clerkships and Life on the Bench National Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division February 16, 2023
    • Power Hour with Michael Binns National Bar Association, Young Lawyer Division February 9, 2023
    • Successfully Navigating the Law Firm Minefield National Bar Association Labor and Employment Conference October 28, 2022