New Jersey’s legal powerhouse firms are trading their briefs for baseball bats on Thursday, June 18, as Lowenstein Sandler hosts the 33rd Annual “Battle of the Barristers” softball tournament.
The annual event, which features a competitive rain date of June 23, brings together prominent law firms and corporations at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield. The day-long tournament serves a vital community purpose: raising between $75,000 and $100,000 annually to send inner-city children to summer camp for free through the Greater Newark Fresh Air Fund.
The high-stakes, one-day tournament officially kicks off at 11:30 AM with division and semi-final games spread across the park. The teams will battle throughout the afternoon, culminating in a high-energy Championship game scheduled for 6:00 PM.
However, this tournament comes with a unique, charitable twist. Beyond corporate sponsorships and flat donations, teams face financial “penalties” on the field. On-field mishaps—including strikeouts, double plays, runs allowed, and errors—all require direct donations, ensuring that every strategic blunder turns into a financial win for the charity.
The “Battle of the Barristers” has grown into one of the Greater Newark Fresh Air Fund’s largest annual fundraising engines. The 2026 roster features an impressive lineup of competing law firms and corporate giants, including:
- Brach Eichler
- Carella Byrne
- Connell Foley
- Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi (CSG Law)
- FBT Gibbons
- Fox Rothschild
- McCarter & English
- One Boland Drive
- O’Toole Scrivo
- Prudential
For Lowenstein Sandler, the event represents a deep, multi-decade commitment to local youth. Karim Kaspar, who has spearheaded Lowenstein’s softball team and championed the firm’s tournament participation for more than 25 years, emphasizes that the impact goes far beyond the box score.
“The tournament is not just about the numbers; it’s about the collective drive to create positive change in our communities,” Kaspar said. “At the end of the day, the real winners are the kids.”
All proceeds raised from the event will go directly toward underwriting the costs of comprehensive summer camping experiences, offering outdoor educational and recreational opportunities to children who might otherwise not have access to them.
