James J. Garrity has spent his entire legal career at Wisler Pearlstine and is a member of the firm’s Municipal Law and the Real Estate, Zoning, and Land Development practice groups. Mr. Garrity was named the Best Lawyers® Municipal Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Philadelphia in 2023, 2019 and 2017. He has also been named to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list for Land Use & Zoning since 2005. His practice is divided between representation of commercial developers in land development matters (particularly shopping center, office, and multi-family development) in Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester Counties, and his responsibilities as the Solicitor to two Montgomery County Townships (Lower Salford and Springfield). Mr. Garrity’s commercial work includes the representation of owners and developers in large land use appeals which have required argument before the Commonwealth Court and Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He has also been retained to act as Special Counsel on zoning ordinance validity challenges and curative amendments in numerous municipalities within Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester Counties.

A past Chairman of the Montgomery Bar Association Committees on Real Estate, Zoning and Land Use, and Municipal Law, Mr. Garrity is frequently called upon to speak at Continuing Legal Education and Township Supervisor/Commissioner seminars on a variety of land use, zoning and real estate development topics. A graduate of Villanova University Law School, and one of the editors of its Law Review, Mr. Garrity received his undergraduate degree cum laude from Georgetown University.

Representative Matters

• Coordinated several public/private partnerships to assist several municipalities in obtaining significant capital improvements with minimal use of taxpayer funds.
• Represented the successful appellant in a highly controversial, eight year long land use battle called “the most significant municipal bad faith case in many years.” Highway Materials, Inc. v. Whitemarsh Township (Commonwealth Court of PA).
• Represented municipality in successful rejection of one of the longest (over 50 hearings) curative amendment challenges in the history of the Commonwealth. Goodman Properties v. Lower Gwynedd Township (Commonwealth Court of PA).
• Represented developer throughout the rezoning and approval process for over 200 acres to permit the construction of a 550,000 square foot shopping center, 5 apartment buildings with over 250 units, a single family home subdivision of houses, a hotel, and a large restaurant.
• Assisted a large school district in locating its bus parking facility on a new site notwithstanding several land use appeals and an equity action commenced by neighboring property owners.
• Assisted a corporate landowner in the rezoning and development of over 100 acres in two townships to permit two shopping centers totaling in excess of 300,000 square feet, 126 carriage homes, and a 15 acre township park.
• Helped a township negotiate through five years of litigation involving eight separate law suits to successfully acquire and develop a 76 acre park for both passive and active recreation.

Speeches and Publications

• “Municipal Land Development Agreements.” With Andrew R. Freimuth, Esquire and J. Edmund Mullin, Esquire, co-presenters. Pennsylvania Bar Institute. December 8, 2016.
• “Solicitor’s Roundtable: Ten Signs That Someone May Be About to Litigate With the Township.” 91^st Annual Conference of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners. June 24, 2016.
• Frequent lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Montgomery Bar Association, the State Association of Township Commissioners, the State Association of Township Supervisors, and the Montgomery County Association of Township Officials on Zoning, Land Development, and Municipal Law topics.