Newark at the Heart of Frank Giantomasi’s Life and Career

Photo provided by Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC

Francis J. Giantomasi '79 built a career grounded in grit, ethics and civic engagement while helping shape communities across New Jersey.

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Frank Giantomasi learned early how to move quickly in Newark’s East Ward, in a close-knit neighborhood where, as he puts it, “I was not a tough kid, but I was fast so I could run away from trouble when I saw it coming.”

His instinct—to adapt, push forward and seize opportunity—would shape a career spanning more than four decades, during which the Seton Hall Law alumnus has helped define New Jersey’s legal and civic landscape. As a member of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC and co-chair of the firm’s executive committee, he has guided some of the state’s most significant real estate and land-use projects.

Driven by the same energy that carried him through his early years, his influence extends well beyond private practice. He has served in county government and held leadership roles across nonprofit and health care institutions. Throughout his career, he has remained deeply connected to Newark, the city that shaped his path and continues to inform his work.

Giantomasi was born to older parents—his father was 52 and his mother 40—who had little formal education but placed enormous value on learning. “My father had a sixth-grade education. My mother had two years of high school. But they both valued education tremendously,” he says. “They were my guiding light.”

That foundation proved pivotal when Giantomasi initially considered a career in teaching, not law. His father urged him to think more broadly. “He always used to say to me, ‘Frankie, you don’t have to be a lawyer, but you could be in insurance, government, politics, business and real estate.’” A law degree, his father believed, could open doors far beyond the courtroom.

After graduating from Newark’s Eastside High School in 1972 and earning a history degree from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, Giantomasi enrolled at Seton Hall Law in 1976. He worked nearly nonstop, delivering pizzas at night and substitute teaching during the day.

At the end of his first year, Academic Dean Joseph Lynch called him into his office. “He said, ‘The law is a fickle mistress, Mr. Giantomasi, and you’re cheating on her,’” Giantomasi recalls. Lynch, who also taught constitutional law, delivered a blunt warning: Go home and tell your parents they were wasting their money on his education. “He scared the hell out of me,” Giantomasi says. “And he was right.”

The conversation became a turning point. Giantomasi refocused, improved academically and secured a clerkship with Essex County Assignment Judge Arthur J. Blake. Years later, he returned to thank Lynch. “I told him he changed my life,” he says.

The clerkship launched a litigation career, but Newark soon pulled him in a different direction. In 1981, he opened a small office at Ferry and Adams streets as the Ironbound experienced a wave of immigration from Portugal and the Azores. Many newcomers arrived with capital and entrepreneurial drive but limited English and few attorneys who could effectively serve them.

Giantomasi had traveled through Spain and Portugal in 1974 and taught himself enough Portuguese to connect. “I spoke Portuguese poorly, and they spoke English poorly,” he says. “But I made the effort, and they respected it, so we kind of had a deal going.” He helped clients buy restaurants, start businesses and navigate real estate transactions. As their businesses grew, so did his practice.

During the 1980s, Giantomasi served as chief counsel to the Essex County Board of Freeholders and later as county counsel. He also helped establish Ironbound Bank in 1985, serving on its executive and loan committees as one of seven incorporators.

The recession of the late 1980s left a lasting impression. “It taught me that I respect people who can make payroll,” he says. “It’s easy in good times, but it’s not so easy in the rough times.” The experience reshaped his approach to business and risk. “I learned you need to have a reserve fund for the rainy day,” he says. “It tempered my attitudes.”

The practice that began on Ferry Street eventually outgrew its original home. Years later he joined West Orange-based Wolff & Samson, and then helped to transition that firm into what is today Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (CSG Law), the state’s largest law firm by attorney headcount.

His work has touched many of New Jersey’s most visible development projects, including Prudential’s Newark headquarters, Panasonic North America’s Newark headquarters, Lionsgate Newark Studios and a major redevelopment project at Fort Monmouth.

When asked about his most significant professional achievement, Giantomasi says, “Orchestrating six governmental entities in a single deal involving a billion-dollar investment—I would say that’s it.”

The Lionsgate project resonates more personally. “When I was a kid, I never dreamed that we’d see a major motion picture studio here,” he says. “When they came to me and asked me to help, I was so proud.” What excites him most is its potential. “The studios aren’t relocating an industry here,” he says. “They’re building a new industry in Newark.”

Beyond his legal work, Giantomasi has devoted significant time to civic and nonprofit leadership. He has served on the board of trustees of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center since 2008 and has chaired the board since 2019. In 2026, he was appointed to the board of RWJBarnabas Health.

Those commitments trace back to a childhood experience funded through a federal Title I program. As a young student, he joined a school trip that allowed him to see the Statue of Liberty for the first time.

“Somebody went and applied for Title I funding because they thought that if money were invested in these dirty-faced kids from Newark, they could turn their lives around,” he says. “They turned my life around.”

That lesson continues to shape his understanding of service. “I know that philanthropy is not just with money, but philanthropy of time,” he says. “You can’t just say, ‘I’m going to give you $25.’ You also have to put your time into it.”

Asked what Newark gave him that nowhere else could, Giantomasi answers without hesitation: “Grit. G-R-I-T.” Then he adds another lesson: “I hope that it taught me that you can be gritty and strong, but you can be compassionate, too.”

His advice to the Class of 2026 comes down to a single principle: ethics. “It’s not just a paycheck. It’s not just a job,” he says. “Law is a career. And it’s something that you have to practice every day.”

For all the projects, appointments and milestones, Giantomasi measures success differently. On his desk sits a book his grandson Nicholas created in sixth grade about his life. The dedication reads: “This book is dedicated to my grandpa, the person that taught me a good work ethic and always gave good advice, the person that set an example for me to learn and grow.”

“I look at that every day,” Giantomasi says. “That’s my biggest success right there.”