Joseph J. Maraziti, Jr.
Environmental Law - Short Hills, NJ

I’ve always tried to blend my policy interests into my practice, and I think that’s only helped our clients. There’s no question that being on the cutting edge of legal knowledge, policies and principles, we can serve clients in a more effective, practical and thorough way. There were no environmental law courses when I attended law school. I was fortunate enough to grow with the law as the environmental field was developing. And in recent years I’ve seen the maturing of the environmental movement. What’s going on now is nothing less than the recycling of once abandoned and underutilized sites and the resulting revitalization of the cities and towns of New Jersey.

Twenty years ago we were assembling the framework for change–today I think the legal structure, to a large degree, is in place. Our clients can better identify and manage risks related to contamination liability. For instance, our firm is representing the City of Perth Amboy’s redevelopment projects that total almost $2 billion–projects that would have been impossible a decade ago. Similar historic efforts are also underway with our clients Paterson, Bloomfield, Dover, Palmyra, South Amboy, Wildwood and others. We’ve been in some real battles over the years. We successfully fought to protect the Perth Amboy public water supply from continued pollution. It made a real difference in the quality of people’s lives. That struggle is the kind of effort that has made a difference in the health of countless people. The outcome of that litigation prevented the contamination of a public water supply and the exposure of the public to multiple health risks. For the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, we have been fully immersed in dealing with the siting and constitutional controversies regarding the disposal of solid waste for the County.

Our job is to get transactions to work and to ensure that projects be approved and completed. We are set up to serve the legal needs of a project from beginning to end–if litigation is involved, we’ll handle it aggressively to a conclusion. Still, we’re not the kind of firm that wastes clients’ time and money to fight over theoretical issues. We seek to identify creative and innovative solutions to a problem. And I think our size (nine attorneys) helps us. Although small, we have all the capabilities of an environmental department of a larger firm, except that, in many ways, we are more accessible. Clients like our responsiveness and our team approach. I think that’s what sets us apart. Certainly the process can be plodding and frustrating–the wait for permits can test anyone’s patience. Transactions are time sensitive, and it’s our job to see they’re completed.

It’s challenging–and important–work. We confront real-world issues, and we try to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Whether we are negotiating a multi-million dollar project agreement, navigating a permit application through the approval process or advising and sometimes litigating the siting and construction of a major public environmental improvement, we bring the same level of energy, expertise and attentiveness to our clients.

Joseph J. Maraziti, Jr.
"We confront real-world issues, and we try to make a positive difference in people's lives."
Phone: (973) 912-9008
Fax:
 
 
Education
Fordham College, BS, Social Sciences, 1962
Fordham University Law School, JD, 1965

COMPILED SUMMER 2003
UPDATED SPRING 2009
 
2009-05-11 11:24:15