After recognizing the Firm as a “Powerhouse Law Firm” earlier this week, Law360 published its feature story on Riker Danzig in its August 11, 2022 issue, detailing some of the matters that earned the Firm the “Powerhouse” honor.
Law360 credits the Firm with “delivering a number of victories over the past year for its wide-ranging client roster” by “relying on the same high standards it adopted when it was founded.” The article notes some of our impressive history, mentioning former partners William F. Hyland and Peter N. Perretti, who each served as attorneys general of New Jersey. “It was also the employer of Marie Garibaldi when she was tapped to serve as a state Supreme Court justice in the 1980s, becoming the first woman to serve on the bench. U.S. District Court Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, the first Muslim to serve on the federal bench, also worked at Riker Danzig, as did current state Supreme Court Justice Anne Patterson.”
Our co-managing partners Michael R. O’Donnell and Lance J. Kalik were interviewed about both our history and our current activity. "That's where we see our history," Mike said. "A statewide firm that is not only productive economically, but is productive for the community encouraging great lawyers and great civil servants."
Lance said, “There's been a lot of activity in the market for transactional services that our corporate department has handled, as well as quite a bit of real estate activity, particularly in Morris County and the commercial real estate market statewide, including in the warehousing space," he said. "As far as our litigation practice goes, across the board in almost every single area that does litigation, we've seen upticks."
Our win for nuclear energy giant Holtec International was applauded, in a $260 million tax credit case that raised important issues about the government's obligations to honor its incentive programs. Partner Michael P. O’Mullan, who served as Holtec’s lead counsel on the case, said of Holtec, "They spent more than $260 million to build a state-of-the-art facility in Camden, revitalized the waterfront in Camden, delivered hundreds of jobs as they had promised the state in exchange for the tax credits." Partner Charles B. McKenna, who also provided counsel on the case, noted that this was a good result not just for Holtec but for business in New Jersey. “[T]o other companies that are looking at New Jersey as a place to come, they will realize that when the state makes you a promise, then the courts will hold them to that promise. That's a good thing for business in New Jersey."
Law360 was impressed with our representation of the New York Red Bulls in the development of its massive new training facility in Morris Township. Real Estate Chair Nicholas Racioppi, Jr., who noted that the matter was “one of the most challenging developments” in his career, spoke of the 18-attorney team working on the project, spanning multiple practice areas. "All of that put together got us to where we are now, and we're expecting a good result," Nick said. "It required a lot of hard work and diligence."
Law360 covered our appellate win for Renaissance at Schanck Road in an environmental cleanup case. Of Counsel Dennis J. Krumholz tried the case with associate Michael S. Kettler.“It was because of our brilliance, not mine, but Michael Kettler's . . . and really his research, insight and skill that he brought to bear on the law," Dennis said. "We've been doing environmental cases for decades and understanding how cases work and how parties negotiate."
Our Cannabis Practice was lauded after a very busy year, interviewing partner Ryan M. Magee about the practice. As one of the few firms in New Jersey that have represented both medical and adult-use cannabis license applicants, Ryan said, “I think that means two things. One is the fact that we're not the new guys in town, because we were engaged in this process back when medical marijuana applications were still being submitted. The other side to it is: We're still relevant, because we're still winning licenses on behalf of our newer adult-use clients as well.” Ryan noted that cannabis law is “broad and overarching,” but that “Riker Danzig has the capabilities to assist its clients with hurdles in navigating the cannabis laws in New Jersey, such as environmental issues, corporation work, commercial real estate matters and municipal laws.” He explained that we are excelling in this space because “we have a deep bench in each of those individual practice areas."
The full article is available at Powerhouse Law Firm (subscription required).
