Joseph B. Schwartz

Joseph B. Schwartz serves as co-chair of the firm's Municipal Law Practice Group.  He represents clients in the areas of municipal and land use litigation, general commercial litigation and commercial foreclosure matters.

Joseph regularly represents municipalities, developers, businesses, and individuals in all phases of local land use approval and complex real estate litigation. His land use practice encompasses zoning, planning, subdivisions and inland wetlands authorities. He also represents owners, general contractors, subcontractors and sureties in a variety of construction-related disputes in state and federal courts, arbitration and mediation.

In addition to land use issues, Joseph also represents municipalities, businesses and individuals in residential and commercial property tax appeals, and has successfully litigated several of them to judgment. Joseph also has extensive experience representing municipalities in zoning enforcement actions.  He has also written articles and given presentations on various land use and municipal topics.  Joseph holds an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, received the distinction by Connecticut Super Lawyers as a 2013 Rising Star in the area of Land Use/Zoning and was named a 2015 New Leaders in the Law by the Connecticut Law Tribune.

Joseph also has experience representing financial institutions in complex commercial foreclosure actions involving restaurants, motels and hotels. He also handles all phases of collection litigation, including pre- and post-judgment remedies.

• Construction
• Land Use
• Litigation
• Municipal Law

• Connecticut Bar Association - Member
• Hartford County Bar Association - Member
• The Oliver Ellsworth American Inn of Court (2011-2013 – three year term)
• West Hartford Exchange Club – Member (2009-10)
• University of Connecticut School of Law Foundation, Board of Trustees (Board Member, 2013; Executive Committee, 2014-present)
• Quest/Leadership Greater Hartford (Class of 2014-15)
• Connecticut Association of Water Pollution Control Authorities (CAWPCA) (Board of Directors, 2015 – present)

• Connecticut Law Tribune 2015 New Leaders in the Law
• Holds an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Rating from Martindale-Hubbell
• Listed as Connecticut Super Lawyers® Rising Star in the area of Land Use/Zoning in 2013 (Super Lawyers is a registered trademark of Key Professional Media, Inc.)

• Mandell Jewish Community Center of Greater Hartford, Board of Directors
• Matt Ritter for State Representative, 1st District, Treasurer (2012, 2014, 2016).
• Connecticut Housing Investment Fund (CHIF): Provided pro bono services to CHIF by drafting a guide on how to administer federal housing administration insured single-family home mortgage loans that are delinquent or in default (2013).
• Volunteered at Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, CT to prepare students for “We the People” debate competition (2007-2008)

• January 3, 2017 - Murtha Cullina LLP Elects New Partners
• June 9, 2016 - Joseph B. Schwartz Elected to The Board of Directors of the Mandell Jewish Community Center of Greater Hartford
• November 10, 2015 - Connecticut Law Tribune Names Attorneys 'New Leaders in the Law'
• May 13, 2015 - Joseph B. Schwartz Elected to Board of CT Association of Water Pollution Control Authorities
• Joseph B. Schwartz Joins Murtha Cullina LLP

• Developments in Municipal Law

• July 6, 2016 - CommunityBankingInsights.com: Super Priority Municipal Liens: When Is Your First Mortgage Not First In Line?

• June 7, 2017 - Kari Olson, Joe Schwartz and Ed Spinella will be speaking on "Nonprofit Tax Exempt Organizations" at the Connecticut Association of Assessing Officer's Annual Assessors School at UConn
• December 2015 - Joseph Schwartz presented a seminar on behalf of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities on ethics and the Freedom of Information Act.
• June 8, 2016 - Kari Olson and Joseph Schwartz will present “What Do Conflicts of Interest Have to do With Ethics?” at the 73rd Annual Tax Assessors School at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.
• June 7, 2016 - Kari Olson and Joseph Schwartz will present “Customer Service for Municipal Personnel” in Windham, CT.
• June 2, 2016 - Kari Olson and Joseph Schwartz will present “Customer Service for Municipal Personnel” in Waterford, CT.
• March 15, 2016 - Kari Olson and Joseph Schwartz presented an RFQ workshop for the CT Conference of Municipalities
• February 25, 2016 - Kari Olson and Joe Schwartz presented at a workshop for the CT Conference of Municipalities entitled “Incentivizing Economic Growth.”
• February 18, 2016 - Joe Schwartz co-presented a webinar entitled “Liability and Code Enforcement: What Public Health Needs to Know”
• January 7, 2016 - Kari Olson and Joe Schwartz presented to the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities on Customer Service
• October 2015 - Joseph Schwartz presented a seminar at the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Annual Meeting on tax incentives for economic growth.
• October 2015 - Joseph Schwartz presented a seminar on behalf of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities entitled "Ethics, Accountability and Conflicts of Interest"
• September 2015 - Joseph Schwartz presented a seminar on behalf of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities entitled "Customer Service for Municipal Personnel"
• June 2015 - Joseph Schwartz presented a seminar on behalf of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities on public procurement and construction documents.
• May 2015 - Joseph Schwartz presented a seminar on behalf of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities entitled "Customer Service for Municipal Personnel"
• November 2014 - Joseph Schwartz presented a seamier entitled "Liability of Municipalities and Officials: Civil Issues" at the Annual CBOA/CFMA Educational Conference for Code Officials
• September 2014 - Joseph Schwartz presented a seminar on behalf of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities on public procurement and construction documents.
• June 2014 - Joseph Schwartz spoke at the 71st Annual Tax Assessors School at the University of Connecticut. Their presentation focused on a number of key issues relating to intangible/inchoate property rights

• Connecticut
• New York
• U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut

• University of Connecticut Law School (J.D.)
• George Washington University (B.A., magna cum laude)