James P. Rhatican

Partner, Roseland Office

85 Livingston Avenue

Roseland, New Jersey 07068

Phone:  (973) 535-0500

jrhatican@connellfoley.com

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Publications

Professional Activities

Representative Experience


James P. Rhatican represents primarily developers of real estate, both in the acquisition and sale of properties and in the permitting, financing and development process.  He is experienced in acquiring, selling and developing properties of all sorts.  Mr. Rhatican has represented parties impacted by adverse environmental conditions at a property, including Superfund sites and the due diligence and ISRA issues associated therewith.  He has represented numerous redevelopers of blighted properties and has assisted clients in obtaining tax abatements and public financing for such projects.

 

Mr. Rhatican also has worked with various other state and local regulatory agencies on a variety of projects, including those impacted by Highlands, wetlands, Meadowlands, CAFRA and waterfront development and other regulations. He also has obtained subdivision, site plan and related permits and approvals for projects of nearly every size and character throughout the State.  In this regard, Mr. Rhatican has represented projects ranging from industrial to retail and office uses, as well as housing projects and others.  He is also a litigator, specializing in disputes arising from real estate transactions, regulatory takings and eminent domain.

 

In 2007, Mr. Rhatican was listed as one of the New Jersey Law Journal’s “40 Under 40” list for 2007. Additionally, Mr. Rhatican was named to Real Estate New Jersey Magazine’s 2007 “40 Under 40” list of real estate professionals. He has written several articles and lectured on a variety of real estate and related topics.

 

While in law school, he served as Articles Editor of the Rutgers Law Review. Upon graduation in 1995 he served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Steven Kleiner of the Superior Court of New Jersey’s Appellate Division.

 

 

 

Practice Areas:

Real Estate Law and Land Use

Environmental Law

Business Litigation

 

 

Admitted to Practice:

State of New Jersey

State of New York

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

 

 

Education:

University of Notre Dame (B.A.,

   Government and Public Policy, 1992)

Rutgers University School of Law - Newark

   (J.D., 1995)

 

Affiliations:

American Bar Association

Essex County Bar Association

New Jersey State Bar Association

 

News:

Rhatican Moderates Panel on Funding Opportunities for Green Buildings

Rhatican Moderates on Landlord Trends in Today’s Office Market  (March 2009)

New Jersey Law Journal Covers Coakley and Rhatican’s $5.9M Settlement for United Partners, Inc. (October 2008)

Rhatican Obtains Final Judgment in Condemnation Case Involving

       Local Airport

New Jersey Realtor Publishes Rhatican Article on Condemnation (2007)

Rhatican Named to New Jersey Law Journal's '40 Under 40'

Rhatican Named One of Real Estate New Jersey's '40 Under 40'


Publications

Author, "LEED and the Lawyer" published in Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal (April 2009)

Author, “Portfolio Buyer Beware” published in Real Estate New Jersey (January/February 2009)

Author, "Court Puts Redevelopment on Ice: Pitfalls encountered by a municipality" published in New Jersey Law Journal (December 2008)

Author, "Supreme Court Limits Municipalities' Redevelopment Powers” published in New Jersey Realtor (October 2007)

Professional Activities

Moderator, “Public Funding Opportunities for Sustainable Design and Construction” RealShare New Jersey Conference (October 2009)

Moderator, "Government Legislation & Programs for Eco-Friendly Buildings Construction” Green Buildings Summit 2009 (April 2009)

Moderator, "The Landlord Panel" Law & Office New Jersey Conference (March 2009)

Speaker, CLE program on Commercial Real Estate Transactions (2007)

Speaker, Environmental Impact, New Jersey Chemistry Council (2007)

Speaker, Real Estate Investment, Rutgers Business School (2007)

Moderator, Panel on Eminent Domain, RealShare New Jersey Conference (2006)

Representative Experience

Representation of major retail chain in state-wide re-branding and expansion project requiring site plan approvals for multiple stores;

Representation of  major oil company in site planning and environmental permitting for construction and subsequent expansion of innovative rail facility to accommodate delivery and processing of ethanol and gasoline products, as well as trans-mix unit and holding tanks;

Representation of owner in sale of portfolio of multi-tenanted industrial sites in Union County for $93 million, including counseling on ISRA compliance;

Representation of investor/developer in assemblage and sale of former industrial sites for redevelopment in Hudson County, totaling in excess of $100 million, including counseling on ISRA compliance;

Represented purchaser of office complex in Somerset County for $28 million, including handling financing;

Represented bus company in purchase of Jersey City facility for bus terminal;

Representation of developer in negotiation and completion of joint utility construction and dedication agreement among multiple developers for service of multiple adjacent development projects;

Representation of owner of one million square foot industrial facility in negotiation of tenant leases;

Representation of national homebuilder in suit by homeowner alleging fraud;

Representation of owner of former industrial facility in suit against town arising from redevelopment project;

Representation of owner of tax liens on former industrial facility in foreclosure action in which mortgage holder sought to intervene;

Represented real estate broker in defense of fraud claims relating to purchase of large industrial complex in Harrison.