Vaughn McKoy, highly regarded for his background in public and private organizations, is one of five lawyers who are joining Connell Foley, the firm announced Tuesday.
McKoy and George C.D. Duke will join as partners; Jack Curley and Jennifer Bogdanski will be of counsel; and James Ward will join as an associate.
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.
Connell Foley Managing Partner Tim Corriston said the firm is delighted to be in middle of so much growth.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for the firm,” he said. “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.”
McKoy, who will work out of the firm’s Newark office, 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 Public Service Enterprise Group over the course of 12 years and served as chief operating officer of the city of Paterson, 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 U.S. attorney.
McKoy comes to the firm from Inglesino, Webster, Wyciskala & Taylor.
“We are thrilled to welcome Vaughn to Connell Foley,” Corriston said. “He has a unique and unrivaled background that spans government, private practice and in-house roles, providing clients a true 360-degree view of legal issues and opportunities. We know he will be a tremendous asset to the firm and our clients.”
McKoy said he is eager to join the team.
“I have had the pleasure of working with many Connell Foley attorneys over the years, on a wide range of corporate and litigation issues,” he said. “The firm has a tremendous reputation across the region for truly partnering with clients and finding solutions to complex issues. This practice and mindset are the perfect match for my approach to the law, and I am excited to offer my clients the range of services that Connell Foley provides.”
Duke and 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.
Curley and Bogdanski will join 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.
