Every two years, the Law Journal editorial staff sets out to recognize excellence among diverse attorneys in New Jersey.

As in 2015 (the Law Journal's first Diverse Attorneys of the Year recognition), the response this year from the legal community was enthusiastic, and the selection process was difficult.

The Law Journal looks at diversity in all of its forms—including ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity—and these honorees are certainly representative of that concept. They also represent a broad cross-section of the legal community in terms of the work they perform. Advancing the cause of diversity itself is not a prerequisite for being selected, though many of the honorees have done that. While their daily duties may vary widely, they all share a passion for and commitment to the law, and to advancing the legal profession.

We'll share more about each individual honoree in a special magazine set to publish next month. For now, we congratulate the winners, and urge that diversity remain a priority at organizations in New Jersey, particularly those who count lawyers among their team members.

The Law Journal's 2017 Diverse Attorneys of the Year are:

• Supti Bhattacharya – Hill Wallack
• Rachelle Bin – Fox Rothschild
• Lee Cortes – U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
• Sanmathi Dev – Capehart & Scatchard
• Jhanice Domingo - Einhorn, Harris, Ascher, Barbarito & Frost
• Christine Duffy – Pro Bono Partnership
• Tanya Freeman – Weiner Law Group
• Mary Cate Gordon – Ballard Spahr
• Hervé Gouraige – Sills Cummis & Gross
• Julian Hill – Morris County Prosecutor's Office
• Vikas Khanna - U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
• Neil Mody – Connell Foley
• Mohamed Nabulsi - Mandelbaum Salsburg
• Karen Randall – Connell Foley
• Rekha Rao - Rao Legal Group