About Joseph
Joseph Murray is a attorney based in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, with over six decades of experience in the legal field. He is a member of the New Jersey State Bar and practices at Schiller & Pittenger, P.C., located at 1771 Front Street, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076. The firm specializes in various areas, including estate planning, land use. Zoning. Mr. Murray's legal expertise encompasses land use and zoning matters, where he represents clients before planning boards, boards of adjustment, municipal sewerage authorities, boards of health, and county planning boards. His work involves site plans, subdivisions, use and bulk variances, zoning ordinance interpretations, and appeals from denials. Notably, he served as an attorney for the Cedar Grove Planning Board for several years.
Throughout his career, Mr. Murray has been involved in significant litigation, including cases that have resulted in reported judicial decisions. For instance, in Pheasant Bridge v. Township of Warren, 169 N.J. 282 (2001), cert. denied 535 U.S. 1077 (2002), he contributed to invalidating large lot zoning. Additionally, in Kaufman v.
Planning Board of Warren Tp, 110 N.J. 551 (1988), he helped establish the standard for the c(2) variance. Beyond land use, Mr. Murray has represented landowners challenging exclusionary zoning regulations under the Mt. Laurel doctrine, including cases against the Town of Westfield, the Borough of Fanwood, and the Township of Warren. He has also successfully undertaken New Jersey tort claim litigation against municipalities such as the Borough of Watchung and the Township of Berkeley Heights. In addition to his land use practice, Mr. Murray has experience in probate litigation, contract negotiation, and civil litigation matters.
He has represented buyers and sellers in real estate transactions and provided estate planning services, including guidance on state and federal death taxes, preparation of wills, trusts, and living wills. He also offers legal services to representatives of decedents' estates, assisting with federal and New Jersey estate tax returns and accountings. Before joining Schiller & Pittenger in 2005, Mr. Murray was the principal shareholder in a general practice firm for over twenty years. He also served as a law clerk for Union County Assignment Judges Hon. Walter Hetfield and Hon — Milton Feller, J.S.C. His experience and contributions to the legal field have earned him an AV rating among New Jersey lawyers.