Over more than three decades, Joe Maraziti has built a prestigious practice–and standout reputation–in New Jersey environmental law. In every sense, the upbeat and energetic attorney has grown with the law itself: He has participated in the legislative process and advised state and Washington policymakers.

After law school, Maraziti joined his father’s general practice–and it was in those early years that he tried his first “pollution cases,” as they were known. The first of which led to the creation of the Rockaway Valley Regional Sewerage Authority and the cleanup of the Rockaway River. Later litigation focused on claims stemming from the landmark federal Superfund legislation. He has successfully litigated many cases about environmental law, several of which are precedent setting.

The practice has evolved with the maturing of the field of environmental law; today many clients seek help to develop properties that were once shunned–so-called Brownfields sites. This practice area gives Maraziti the opportunity to help clients–cities, towns and developers – implement the policies he helped craft on the State Planning Commission. Maraziti has practiced with a small cadre of attorneys, with his partners Kit Falcon and Leah Healey, Diane Alexander, Albert I. Telsey, Brent T. Carney, and Andrew M. Brewer, Anton L. Lendor, Christopher D. Miller and Heather A. Pierce. The boutique structure has served them well. Their successes never obscured by the competing practice areas of a large firm.

Today, working at his father’s Tiger Oak desk in his Short Hills Office, a display of family photos, antique bottles, rocks and minerals nearby, Maraziti maintains a varied caseload. (Indeed, larger firms covet his expansive list of public and private clients.) His work reflects the balancing act of modern environmental law–of practicable enforcement and realistic solutions, respecting not only the law but also the state’s long-term ecological health. He is the recipient of the Morris 2000 Robert M. Schaeberle Leadership Award, the 2002 Van Zandt Williams, Jr. Community Involvement award for Commitment to Redevelopment in New Jersey from the Regional Planning Partnership and has been listed as one of the Best Environmental Lawyers in New Jersey in Best Lawyers in America, and recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by New Jersey Monthly in 2008 and 2009.

Maraziti and his wife, Claudette, a practicing psychotherapist, live in Chatham Township and they have two grown daughters, Jackie and Michele.