ROSELAND, N.J./April 7, 2008 -- Connell Foley LLP has named four new partners. Charles J. Harrington III, W. Nevins McCann, Thomas J. O’Leary, and Mitchell W. Taraschi were selected for partnership based on their legal skills, work ethic, and leadership traits. Mr. Harrington was previously of counsel for the firm. Mr. McCann, Mr. O’Leary, and Mr. Taraschi were all previously associates.
Mr. Harrington is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Law and Land Use practice group. Mr. Harrington focuses the majority of his practice on real estate, which includes land use, development, permitting and approvals, redevelopment projects, construction financing, and all ancillary issues necessary for development. While he has been involved in development projects in various parts of New Jersey, he has focused most of his efforts over the past seven years to real estate and development on the Hudson County “Gold Coast.” In the last few years, Mr. Harrington has handled over 100 development applications before local planning and zoning boards, ranging from the development of a two-family home to numerous 300+ luxury residential developments. These approvals have accounted for over 5,000 residential units, as well as a substantial number of hotel and office developments.
Mr. McCann is a member of the Real Estate Law and Land Use and Corporate and Business Law practice groups. Mr. McCann represents real estate developers in all phases of the development process, including locating and acquiring sites, entering into development and redevelopment agreements, fully permitting sites, financing, construction, leasing, and sales. Mr. McCann has extensive land use experience and regularly appears before zoning boards throughout New Jersey. He has obtained permits and approvals for over 10,000 residential units, ten million square feet of office space, millions of square feet of retail and industrial space, and several hotels and fractional/timeshare residences. Mr. McCann has also substantially participated in the development of a world class golf course. He has worked with various federal, state, and local agencies on a variety of projects, including those impacted by wetlands, Meadowlands, CAFRA, waterfront development, and other regulations. In addition to his real estate expertise, Mr. McCann has managed the execution of merger and acquisition deals and has developed an expertise in negotiating and drafting contracts related to such matters.
Mr. O'Leary is a member of the firm’s Construction Law and Commercial Litigation practices. He is an active litigator in the federal and state courts who devotes approximately eighty percent of his practice to representing owners, contractors, design professionals, sureties, and material suppliers in a variety of complex construction disputes involving claims for delay, unforeseen site conditions, poor workmanship, defective materials, design errors, liquidated damages, mechanics’ liens, lost productivity, warranty claims, and performance and payment bond claims.
Mr. Taraschi joined the firm in 1998 and is a member of the Commercial Litigation and Construction Law practice groups and practices in both state and federal courts. He focuses much of his practice in the business litigation area and has represented clients from many industries, including private and public works contractors, cosmetic companies, pharmaceutical companies, and banks. Some notable work includes representation of a national bank in a fraud action; representation of a national health care organization in a trademark ownership dispute; representation of a national homebuilder in an action related to the construction of a high rise condominium complex in Hoboken; representation of a pharmaceutical company in mass tort products liability actions; and representation of a skin care/cosmetics company in the development of operating agreements, product development agreements, international distributorship agreements, sales representative agreements, and employment agreements.
The four new partners were named effective January 1, 2008.