Connell Foley has announced that partner George Garcia will be joining W. Nevins McCann as co-chair of Connell Foley's Real Estate and Land Use practice group. With veteran real estate lawyers Garcia and McCann at the helm, Connell Foley's Real Estate Group's Land Use practice group prepares for a bright and busy future that includes growing the team and servicing an expanded geographical territory. Kevin Coakley, who served as the group's co-chair for over 20 years, will continue to contribute to the group's growth in a co-chair emeritus role.
The already well-established group will continue to grow under the new leadership of Garcia and McCann, who will leverage their combined 40+ years of experience and broad network of relationships in New Jersey to enhance Connell Foley’s extensive capabilities and long-held reputation as one of the region’s premier real estate law service providers. The firm is confident the pair will enable the group to quickly respond to economic changes and provide a full spectrum of real estate law services to more clients than ever, according to firm Managing Partner Timothy Corriston.
“I look forward to growing the Real Estate and Land Use Group’s influence throughout the region,” says Garcia, who has dominated Jersey City’s real estate scene in recent years, guiding the development of the Garden State’s tallest residential building—99 Hudson Street—and having been recognized as one of the New Jersey Law Journal’s “Real Estate-Midsize, Dealmakers,” primarily for his involvement as lead redevelopment counsel for projects located in that area.
“My goal is to replicate the success we achieved in Jersey City by collaborating closely with our clients, government agencies, and regional leaders to drive meaningful change across the entire region,” said McCann, who served on New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s 2018 Transition Team and has been on the frontline of major economic development for decades, working closely with politicians and their cabinets on some of the largest real estate projects in the region.
Having focused his practice on redevelopment law and municipal land use matters in urban and suburban areas throughout New Jersey, Garcia is an authority on the technical requirements involved in establishing rehabilitation and redevelopment zones under the Local Housing and Redevelopment Law. He and his team provide an across-the-board set of skills that includes legal guidance on acquisition matters, financing and joint venture matters and the long-term positioning of assets for clients.
McCann’s extensive experience includes regularly assisting developers in locating and acquiring parcels, entering into development and redevelopment agreements, working with federal, state and local agencies in securing necessary site permits and financing, and overseeing the construction, leasing and sales of real property. Piloted by Garcia and McCann, Connell Foley’s Real Estate and Land Use Group is more than 40 lawyers strong, and its close ties to the Garden State’s cities aren’t limited to the group’s co-chairs.
Longtime Connell Foley partners Charles Harrington, James McCann and Steve Urban have also played leading roles in the renaissance of several New Jersey areas. They are joined in Newark by partners Jennifer Carrillo-Perez and Elnardo Webster, both of whom have played a significant role in the growth and redevelopment of the Garden State’s cities in recent years. Expanding the firm's reach across the Hudson, environmental and brownfields partner George Duke joined the New York office in 2023.
The growth of Connell Foley’s real estate practice, coupled with the firm's overall expansion in recent years, has facilitated the change in group leadership. The firm's lateral hiring at all levels has increased the group’s capacity to address the evolving needs of its real estate clients. A chart outlining the team leaders and their 360-degree approach to serving the real estate industry is attached.