Connell Foley LLP is pleased to announce the arrival of five more lateral attorneys across a range of practice areas in the firm’s New Jersey and New York offices. Making the move to the firm are well-known partners Vaughn L. McKoy and George C.D. Duke, of counsel John (Jack) Curley and Jennifer Bogdanski, and associate James Ward. With the arrival of this latest group, Connell Foley has hired 18 attorneys so far in 2022, swelling the firm's ranks to well over 150 attorneys.
"This is an incredibly exciting time for the firm,” said Tim Corriston, Connell Foley's Managing Partner. “We are continuing to build on our strengths in several of our key areas, including business counseling and transactions, environmental regulations and land use, and real estate development. Each of our new attorneys brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the firm that will further bolster the services we can provide to our clients.”
Joining Connell Foley’s Newark office is partner Vaughn L. McKoy, who comes to the firm from Inglesino, Webster, Wyciskala & Taylor LLC. McKoy has an extraordinary background in both the public and private sectors, and provides strategic business and legal advice to a diverse group of clients. Often serving in the role of outside general counsel, McKoy guides clients on regulatory, corporate governance, ethics and compliance, and government affairs matters, as well as in general and commercial litigation. Previously, McKoy held successive leadership roles with PSEG over the course of 12 years, and served as COO of the City of Paterson, NJ, where he helped lead the city’s transformation and implement new policy. McKoy is also a former Assistant Attorney General and Director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, and served as an Assistant United States Attorney.
Partner George Duke and associate James Ward, who practice in the areas of environmental and land use law, have joined Connell Foley’s New York office. The pair previously were with Brown Duke & Fogel, P.C., a boutique environmental law firm based in New York, where they helped businesses navigate complex environmental and land use laws and regulations. A former project manager and hydrogeologist for a national environmental consulting firm, Duke combines his technical and legal skills to guide clients through some of the region’s most unique and administratively complicated land development and permitting projects, brownfield redevelopment projects, corporate and real property transactions, and mine expansions. He also counsels businesses and property owners on matters of site acquisition and due diligence, construction and related project development agreements, project financing, and tax mitigation and development incentives.
Of counsel John (Jack) Curley and Jennifer Bogdanski have joined Connell Foley’s Jersey City office, where their focus on commercial real estate, redevelopment and land use will mesh seamlessly with the firm’s well-established real estate practice. Curley and Bogdanski previously practiced at John J. Curley LLC. They handle property acquisitions, condemnation matters, and land use approvals and litigation. They also advise on relocation assistance law (state and federal), land exchange, agency relocation claims, and public bidding determinations.
McKoy earned his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, Newark, an Executive MBA from New York University, Leonard Stern School of Business, and a B.S. from Rutgers University. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Duke received his J.D. from Pace Law School, an M.S. from Montclair State University, and B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College. He is licensed to practice in New York, New Jersey, and U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the District of New Jersey.
Curley is a graduate of Rutgers Law School and earned his B.A. from Boston College. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Bogdanski earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law and received her B.A. from Hamilton College. She is licensed to practice in New Jersey and New York.
Ward received his L.L.M magna cum laude and J.D. cum laude from Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, and his B.A. from Pace University. He is licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey.