Public Sector Redevelopment Attorney

ORS Partners; New Jersey; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

ORS Partners in New Jersey seeks an attorney for its Redevelopment, Long Term Tax Exemption, and Public Finance practice. The role involves advising municipalities, drafting and negotiating redevelopment plans, and representing clients at planning and governing body meetings.

The position requires at least five years of licensed practice, substantial experience in municipal law, and a strong drafting ability.

Qualifications

• Admission to the New Jersey Bar.
• At least five years of practice as a licensed attorney.
• Substantial experience in municipal law, redevelopment, land use, or public finance.
• Excellent drafting. Ordinances, resolutions, agreements, and studies are the product of this seat.
• Genuine interest in public finance.
• Comfort with a public-facing schedule.
• A New Jersey judicial clerkship is a plus, not a requirement.

Responsibilities

• Advise municipalities, redevelopment agencies, authorities, and private redevelopers on matters under the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law and the Municipal Land Use Law.
• Draft and negotiate redevelopment plans, redeveloper agreements, financial agreements, ordinances, resolutions, and public procurement documents.
• Prepare and prosecute area in need of redevelopment and rehabilitation designations, including the study and governing body adoption process.
• Structure long term tax exemption applications and PILOT agreements, and support the public finance team on the bond side of project funding.
• Represent clients at planning board, zoning board, redevelopment agency, and governing body meetings, held during the day and in the evening.
• Counsel public bodies on OPRA, OPMA, Local Public Contracts Law, pay-to-play, and conflicts questions as they come up.
• Support Fourth Round affordable housing compliance work, including fair share plans and related settlement matters.

Skills

Municipal law experience

Public finance interest

Drafting

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

New Jersey Bar admission

Job description

An established New Jersey law firm is hiring an attorney into its Redevelopment, Long Term Tax Exemption, and Public Finance practice. The group represents municipalities, redevelopment agencies, housing authorities, county and state entities, and private redevelopers across the full arc of a project, from the area-in-need designation through the redeveloper agreement, the financial agreement, and the financing that pays for it.

The work is statewide and it is growing. Public-body demand across New Jersey has climbed with the Fourth Round affordable housing obligations, and this practice sits in the middle of it.

Attorneys in this group carry their own municipal relationships. Public meetings, board hearings, and direct client contact are part of the seat rather than something handed down after a few years of internal drafting.

Results This Role Will Own

Redevelopment Transactions and Municipal Counsel

• Redevelopment plans, redeveloper agreements, and financial agreements drafted and negotiated to signature.
• Area in need of redevelopment and rehabilitation studies moved through governing body adoption cleanly.
• Ordinances, resolutions, and RFP or RFQ documents that hold up under public scrutiny.

Public Meeting and Board Representation

• Independent appearance at day and evening public meetings across multiple municipalities.
• Clean OPRA, OPMA, and Local Public Contracts Law guidance delivered on the spot when a client asks.
• Applications and hearings carried without a partner sitting second chair.

Long Term Tax Exemption and Public Finance Support:

• Long term tax exemption applications and PILOT financial agreements structured and closed.
• Growing involvement in bond counsel and redevelopment area bond work alongside the public finance team.
• Familiarity with NJEDA incentive programs applied to client projects.

Drafting and Client Ownership:

• Produce documents a municipal client can adopt and a court can uphold.
• Work product that needs light partner correction and gets adopted as drafted.
• Direct client relationships with municipal administrators, planners, and elected officials.
• Matter ownership that grows year over year, tracking toward partnership consideration.

What You'll Do

• Advise municipalities, redevelopment agencies, authorities, and private redevelopers on matters under the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law and the Municipal Land Use Law.
• Draft and negotiate redevelopment plans, redeveloper agreements, financial agreements, ordinances, resolutions, and public procurement documents.
• Prepare and prosecute area in need of redevelopment and rehabilitation designations, including the study and governing body adoption process.
• Structure long term tax exemption applications and PILOT agreements, and support the public finance team on the bond side of project funding.
• Represent clients at planning board, zoning board, redevelopment agency, and governing body meetings, held during the day and in the evening.
• Counsel public bodies on OPRA, OPMA, Local Public Contracts Law, pay-to-play, and conflicts questions as they come up.
• Support Fourth Round affordable housing compliance work, including fair share plans and related settlement matters.

What Success Looks Like

• Municipal clients call this attorney directly instead of routing every question through a partner.
• Redevelopment documents get adopted as drafted and survive challenge.
• Public meeting coverage expands, giving the group room to take on additional municipal appointments.
• Depth on the financing side builds over time, so the transaction and the bond work move together instead of in sequence.

What We're Looking For

• Admission to the New Jersey Bar. This one is a hard requirement, not a preference.
• At least five years of practice as a licensed attorney.
• Substantial experience in municipal law, redevelopment, land use, or public finance. Attorneys coming out of a municipal or township attorney seat, a county counsel office, a public authority or agency in-house role, or a Deputy Attorney General practice are a strong fit here.
• Excellent drafting. Ordinances, resolutions, agreements, and studies are the product of this seat, and they get read in public.
• Genuine interest in public finance. The redevelopment and financing sides of this practice run together, and depth on both is where the seat grows.
• Comfort with a public-facing schedule. Board and governing body meetings run in the evening, and this attorney will be in the room for them.
• A New Jersey judicial clerkship is a plus, not a requirement.

What the Firm Offers

• Statewide public-body work with named municipal clients rather than one narrow slice of a larger deal.
• Direct partner access and matter ownership from early on, with client contact and public meeting representation instead of years of internal drafting.
• A named advancement path from associate to non-equity partner to equity partner, typically tied to a developed book of business.
• Public and private sector work under one roof. The same group advises municipalities and the redevelopers on the other side of the table, which builds a fuller view of how these deals get done.
• Medical insurance, an employer-funded health savings account, life insurance, short and long-term disability, vision, dental, and an employee assistance program.
• An employer-paid critical illness plan, a retirement savings plan, and onsite gym access.
• The firm covers bar fees, professional membership dues, CLE expenses, and business development costs.
• A stable, privately held firm with more than 50 years in practice, no private equity ownership shaping the seat.
• An Essex County office and a commute that beats a Manhattan schedule.