Practice Areas: All Injuries & Accidents, Worker’s Compensation, Tort Litigation, Business Litigation, Products Liability, Employment Litigation, Medical/Professional Malpractice

Education: University of Notre Dame Law School, J.D., 1977 | Seton Hall University, B.A.,  magna cum laude, 1974

Admitted: New Jersey, 1977, U.S. District Court for New Jersey, 1977, U.S Supreme Court, 1989

Biography: John J. Reilly is a partner in the firm. Mr. Reilly is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil Trial Attorney and practices in the area of eminent domain and condemnation. He also has handled other real estate related litigation matters, including tax appeals, prerogative writ actions, redevelopment, environmental cost recovery and contribution, construction, commercial landlord-tenant, and quiet title claims. Mr. Reilly zealously and collaboratively represents clients to realize their goals and objectives in a professional, efficient and effective manner.

Reported Decisions: State, by Com’r of  Transp. v. Siris, 191 N.J. Super. 261, 466 A.2d 96 (Law Div. 1983); State v. Hess Realty Corp., 266 N.J. Super. 256, 543 A. 2d 1050 (App.Div.1998), certif. den. 113 N.J. 383, 550 A.2 484 (1988); affirmed 115 N.J. 229, 557 A.2d 1372 (1989), cert. denied 493 U.S. 964, 1105 S. Ct. 406, 107 L. Ed. 2d 371 (1989); Housing Auth v. Suydam Investors, 335 N.J. Super. 530, 810 A. 2d 1137 (App. Div. 2002) (aff’d in part and rev’d in part, 177 N.J. 2, 826 A.2d 673 (2003)).

Representative Matters:

• Six day jury trial on behalf of client property owner wherein condemnor had offered $490,000 and jury awarded client 1.9 million dollars.  
• Successful challenge to condemnation action on basis that the taking was not an entire taking but rather a partial taking with a non-contiguous functionally integrated remainder resulting in dismissal of the action and attorney fees award. 
• Settlement prior to trial on behalf of client property owner of just compensation for 100 acres of vacant land for $10 million against condemnor’s $5 million value estimate, which property included significant water courses, riparian zones, wetlands and assorted buffers, flood hazard areas and other developmental constraints. 
• Settlement on behalf of client property owner prior to trial of condemnor’s claim of 2.5 million for environmental remediation costs related to arsenic and other contaminants for $325,000.00. 
• 11 day bench trial defending property owner-mortgagor against mortgagee’s claim of $2.1 million from the lump sum of just compensation, with Court allocating only $216,000.00 to mortgagee. 
• Settlement at trial at fraction of the $14 million claim of general contractor against client design engineering firm involving major public subaqueous sewer outfall construction project. 
• As member of trial team in successful action for environmental insurance coverage on behalf of major chemicals corporation, conducted nation-wide and international discovery, pre-trial motion practice and trial examination.
• On behalf of affected property owner, obtained bench trial judgment invalidating as null and void municipal redevelopment area designation, redevelopment plan and condemnation ordinance.
• Prevailed upon the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in response to natural gas transmission company’s planned taking of pipeline easement, to expressly condition the project’s certificate of public convenience and necessity upon the pipeline company’s addressing and mitigating adverse impacts on client’s on-going business operations. 
• Jury trial award in favor of plaintiff client in action for Consumer Fraud Act violations action resulting in treble damages and attorney fees award. 
• Briefed and argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court and Appellate Division, and briefed before the United States Supreme Court in condemnation matters.

Speaking/Writing:

• Author of numerous articles and panelist at national and state seminars related to eminent domain, redevelopment and tax appeals.
• Author of “Eminent Domain and its Impact on Contemporary Real Estate Transactions” chapter in Commercial Real Estate Transactions Handbook, Mark A. Senn (Ed), Wolters Kluwer, 4th Edition. 
• Co-author of “Real Estate Tax Appeals” chapter in Commercial Real Estate Transactions in New Jersey, Jack Fersko (Ed.), NJ ICLE. (2019)

Professional Activities/Honors:

• Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV ® Preeminent.
• Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in Eminent Domain and Condemnation since 2009
• Listed in New Jersey Super Lawyers in the Eminent Domain practice area since 2010.
• Member, NJ State Bar Association, Land Use Section, and Ocean County Bar Association.
• Affiliate member, Appraisal Institute
• Testified before the environmental committees of both houses of the New Jersey State Legislature concerning proposed legislation affecting condemned property undergoing environmental remediation.    
• Founding trustee and corporate secretary of The Frances Foundation for Kids Fighting Cancer Inc., a non-profit