Jacob Henry Zoghlin

Jacob Henry Zoghlin

Lawyer helping with environmental, land use, municipal, & development problems.
  • Environmental Law, Municipal Law, Real Estate Law ...
  • New York
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Biography

Jacob is a Partner with The Zoghlin Group and Chairs the firm’s Zoning & Land Use Law and Cannabis Law practice group. His practice focuses on environmental, zoning, land use, cannabis, energy, & municipal law. He counsels individuals, businesses, & municipalities, and helps them resolve their issues by advocating, educating, advising, & litigating on their behalf.

In his municipal practice, Jacob provides special counsel services to municipal boards, and advises clients on a wide range of procedural and legal issues. His practice also focuses on ensuring government entities comply with the law, and has included litigation related to New York’s Administrative Procedure Act, Freedom of Information Law, and Open Meetings Law.

In his zoning and land use practice, Jacob works on matters involving site plan, incentive zoning, special local approvals/permits, variances, and other real estate development applications. Jacob has prosecuted and argued Article 78 proceedings in New York State trial and appellate courts, advised public and private sector clients on the State Environmental Quality Review Act, and worked with clients on environmental and land use regulations.

In his cannabis law practice, Jacob helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses the right way by navigating them through complex state and local requirements, advising them on license applications to the New York State Cannabis Control Board, assisting them with statutory and regulatory compliance, and helping them identify social equity benefits available under the Marihuana Regulations and Taxation Act.

Jacob is also enthusiastically involved in the local and state community. He is an active member of the New York State Bar Association and Monroe County Bar Association, is a prolific blogger on legal issues, and has repeatedly lectured on, and participated as a panelist for, continuing legal education courses involving new, interesting, or emerging areas of law.

Education
American University Washington College of Law
J.D. (2014) | Law
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Honors: Graduated Cum Laude; 1L Merit Scholarship; Highest Grade in Election Law; and Pro Bono Honors
Activities: UNROW Litigation Clinic; Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law; Legislation and Policy Brief; Law and Government Society (Vice President); and Equal Justice Foundation (member and grant recipient).
American University Washington College of Law Logo
Haverford College in Pennsylvania
B.A. (2011) | Philosophy
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Study Abroad at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, Program in European Culture & Society, Fall-Winter 2009
Honors: Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium Conference Presenter (2011); Miller Fellow (2010-11)
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Professional Experience
Chair of Zoning and Land Use Law Practice Group
The Zoghlin Group, PLLC
- Current
• Oversee Zoning & Land Use Law practice group. • Manage Zoning & Land Use Law matters, including applications for variances, special use permits, and other local authorizations; administrative proceedings before municipal boards, zoning boards, planning boards, and other administrative boards; and research memoranda and recommendations on specific questions. • Identify marketing/growth opportunities for Zoning & Land Use Law practice group. • Supervise Zoning and Land Use Law practice group, conduct client intakes, and function as lead attorney on Zoning and Land Use Law cases. • Cultivate network of support professionals to assist clients in Zoning and Land Use Law practice group. • Draft blog posts on Zoning and Land Use Law, manage social media communications regarding Zoning and Land Use Law practice group, and engage with bar associations and professional associations regarding developing areas of Zoning & Land Use Law. • Prosecute & defend Zoning and Land Use Law claims.
Partner
The Zoghlin Group, PLLC
- Current
• Supervise associate attorney(s), law clerk(s), paralegal(s), and support staff. • Manage and serve as Chair of the Firm's zoning and land use law practice group. • Manage and serve as Chair of the Firm's cannabis law practice group. • Independently manage legal matters and tasks in civil litigation. • Prepare pleadings, petitions, motions, briefs, administrative applications, and administrative appeals. • Draft and argue motions and appeals. • Prepare discovery demands, including interrogatories, notices to produce, notices to admit, demands for verified bills of particulars, deposition notices, and other demands for disclosures. • Conduct extensive document review projects involving tens of thousands of pages. • Participate in depositions, client intakes, and settlement discussions. • Advise individuals, citizen groups, and businesses in applications before administrative agencies and municipal boards. • Special counsel for municipal boards. • FOIL requests & appeals.
Chair of Cannabis Law Practice Group
The Zoghlin Group, PLLC
- Current
• Develop Cannabis Law practice group. • Manage Cannabis Law matters, including license applications, regulatory and statutory compliance, identifying social equity benefits, and providing research memoranda and recommendations on specific questions. • Identify marketing/growth opportunities for Cannabis Law practice group. • Supervise Cannabis Law practice group, conduct client intakes, and function as lead attorney on cannabis law cases. • Cultivate network of support professionals to assist clients in Cannabis Law practice group. • Draft blog posts on Cannabis Law, manage social media communications regarding Cannabis Law practice Group, and engage with bar associations and professional associations regarding developing areas of Cannabis Law. • Review ethics opinions to ensure attorney and firm compliance with state laws and ethics rules.
Director
Board of Directors, Flower City Arts Center
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Flower City Arts Center is a community-based not-for-profit that educates, encourages, and inspires all people to create and enjoy the visual arts. FCAC offers educational programs in a variety of visual arts with an emphasis on three areas: Printmaking & Book Arts, Ceramics, and Photography & Digital Arts. We produce youth programs, classes, and workshops, provide facilities to our studio artists, and exhibit work in our galleries. We collaborate with community groups for the benefit of all. Our photography, ceramics and book arts programs are available to community members of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. The Flower City Arts Center is an Institutional Member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.
Senior Associate Attorney
The Zoghlin Group, PLLC
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Sr. Assoc. Attorney (2019-Present), Chair of Cannabis Law Practice (2021-Present), Assoc. Att. (2016-2019). Civil litigation with extensive motions practice in environmental, land-use, municipal, zoning, cannabis & energy law: • Advise individuals, businesses, citizens groups, & municipal boards in administrative proceedings & litigation. • Commence & prosecute/defend Article 78 proceedings, declaratory judgment actions, & hybrid proceedings. • Manage a wide variety of cases, prepare settlement demands, & attend mediation/dispute resolution meetings. • Negotiate mediated settlements of litigated cases & prepare settlement documents to resolve disputes. • Draft pleadings, conduct discovery, conduct/defend depositions, & brief/argue motions & appeals. • Guide municipalities in conducting environmental reviews & adopting local laws/resolutions. • Coordinate with environmental consultants & expert witnesses regarding affidavits & testimony. • Supervise associate attorney & staff.
Staff Attorney
Bansbach Zoghlin, P.C.
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• Drafted a variety of pleadings, petitions, motions, briefs, administrative applications, and administrative appeals. • Authored legal memoranda on federal and state environmental, administrative, and Constitutional law. • Organized voluminous document review projects, prepared affirmative discovery motions, and opposed same.
Law Clerk (Contract Position)
The Spiggle Law Firm
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• Drafted disclosures, reviewed and indexed documents, and composed memoranda on diverse discovery issues. • Researched and drafted legal memoranda on specific questions of substantive employment law.
Student Attorney
UNROW Human Rights Impact Litigation Clinic
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• Researched and drafted legal memoranda, complaints, motions, and briefs on diverse legal issues including human rights, immigration, Constitutional law, and the Freedom Of Information Act. • Represented clients in administrative proceedings, helped develop litigation strategies, and interviewed clients. • Secured asylum for victim of gang-based violence, authored submissions, and represented clients in hearings.
Legal Intern
National Labor Relations Board
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• Researched and drafted legal memoranda analyzing various labor law issues for agency attorneys. • Authored internal legal memorandum on tactics for obtaining consent judgments throughout the country. • Monitored labor law outcomes and tracked trends to help develop long-term litigation strategies.
Legal Intern
Honorable Laura A. Cordero, D.C., Superior Court
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• Conducted legal research and drafted civil judicial orders on dispositive motions. • Drafted judicial opinions on appeals from administrative decisions. • Observed and assisted judge in courtroom proceedings, pretrial conferences, and hearing preparations.
Legislative Law Clerk
Anti-Defamation League
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• Wrote advocacy memoranda on civil rights advancement, counterterrorism, and the First Amendment. • Monitored legislative developments, administrative regulations, judicial decisions, and executive branch nominations.
Publications
Articles & Publications
Understanding Type I Actions Under SEQRA
The Zoghlin Group
Simplifying Civil Litigation: New York’s Legal Landscape Transformed By Passage of New Law, Allowing Affirmations In Lieu of Affidavits in Civil Litigation
The Zoghlin Group
Major New York State Cannabis Law Update: Key Takaways From the September 12, 2023, Cannabis Control Board Meeting
The Zoghlin Group
The Zoghlin Group PLLC Celebrates Attorneys’ Inclusion on 2023 List of Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
The Zoghlin Group
The Zoghlin Group PLLC Celebrates Attorneys’ Inclusion on 2023 List of “Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch In America”
The Zoghlin Group
Airbnb’s Challenge to NYC’s Short-Term Rental Rules Dismissed: Court Upholds Regulations
The Zoghlin Group
The Power of State Constitutions: Montana’s Recent Environmental Rights Ruling Explored
The Zoghlin Group
New York State’s Green Amendment: An Examination of its Scope and Implications
The Zoghlin Group
The “Seneca Meadows” Landfill Expansion Controversy in New York State
The Zoghlin Group
New York Strengthens Enforcement Against Unlicensed Cannabis Operators
The Zoghlin Group
Understanding Area Variances in New York State
The Zoghlin Group
Understanding Article 78 Proceedings in New York State: Why You Need an Experienced Attorney
The Zoghlin Group
Understanding Use Variances in New York State
The Zoghlin Group
Business of Cannabis Video Webinar
The Zoghlin Group
License Types Available Under New York State’s Cannabis Law (the MRTA)
The Zoghlin Group
New York State Legalizes Adult-Use Cannabis
The Zoghlin Group
Court Finds French Chateau was Illegally Constructed Ands Orders Owner to Demolish It
The Zoghlin Group
How New York’s Police Reform Legislation - Specifically, the Repeal of “Section 50-A” - Impacts the Freedom of Information Law
The Zoghlin Group
In Addressing Inequality, We Must Pay More Attention To “Environmental Justice” Issues
The Zoghlin Group
NYS Governor’s Executive Order Purports To Suspend the “In-Person” and “Quorum” Requirements of the Open Meetings Law in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic
The Zoghlin Group
Over 40 States Could Allow Legal Marijuana By The End Of 2020
The Zoghlin Group
NYSBA Committee on Professional Ethics Issues Opinion On Attorneys’ Advising Clients On Compliance With New York’s Cannabis Laws
The Zoghlin Group
New York’s “Congestion Charge” May Be Decided Behind Closed Doors
The Zoghlin Group
Municipalities Prepare For Cannabis Legalization In 2020
The Zoghlin Group
Municipal Law Issues Related To The Potential Legalization Of Cannabis For Adult Use In New York State
The Zoghlin Group
Cannabis/Marijuana Legalization May Be Coming To New York State In 2020. Is Your Local Government Ready?
The Zoghlin Group
Freedom Of Information Law Requests Must “Reasonably Describe” The Records Sought
The Zoghlin Group
DEC Proposes Regulatory Changes To Hearing Procedures
The Zoghlin Group
Governor Cuomo Announces Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Homeowner Recovery Program
The Zoghlin Group
Appellate Court Annuls Town Condemnation For Failure To Comply With SEQRA
The Zoghlin Group
Developer Purchases Former Tonawanda Coke Site
The Zoghlin Group
State Court Awards Attorneys Fees In Freedom Of Information Law Case Involving Police Body Camera Video
The Zoghlin Group
Local Sign Ordinance Sparks Lawsuit In Canandaigua, New York
The Zoghlin Group
Chautauqua County Planning Board Accused Of Open Meetings Law Violation
The Zoghlin Group
A Property Purchased Nine Years Ago For $1,200 Could Now Cost The Owner $2.4 Million
The Zoghlin Group
One-Year Sentenced Imposed For Assault On Environmental Conservation Officer.
The Zoghlin Group
Town of Westerlo Planning Board Issues Conditional Negative Declaration of Environmental Significance For Proposed Costanza Solar Project.
The Zoghlin Group
Significant Contamination At The Tonawanda Coke Facility Could Take Years To Cleanup.
The Zoghlin Group
Automobile Companies Face Criminal Inquiries or Fines Related To Violations of Emissions or Fuel-Efficiency Testing.
The Zoghlin Group
DEC Investigation Of Niagara Sanitation Landfill Finds Contamination.
The Zoghlin Group
Greene County, New York Seeks To Construct An 80-Bed Jail In Coxsackie, NY
The Zoghlin Group
Cleanup Underway Along New York Shoreline After Fifteen-Inch Hole In Fuel Tank Found
The Zoghlin Group
Hunter Whose Stray Bullet Struck A Nearby House Faces Heightened Charges For Allegedly Tampering With Evidence And Providing False Statements To Investigators
The Zoghlin Group
Landfill Operator Fined By DEC For Alleged Permit Violations
The Zoghlin Group
Town Investigated By DEC For Using Asphalt Millings As Fill
The Zoghlin Group
Punishments In Penal Institutions: (Dis)-Proportionality in Isolation
Human Rights Brief
Speaking Engagements
Roadmap for Navigating the Approval Process, Practical Guide to Zoning and Land Use Law in New York: Navigate the Zoning Process With an In-Depth Understanding of Zoning Regulations, Webinar
National Business Institute, Inc. (NBI)
Are you current on your knowledge of zoning laws? Can you confidently solve potential problems and ensure smooth zoning processes? Join us at this online seminar where you'll learn to facilitate positive outcomes by understanding key components of the approval process, procedures for challenging a zoning decision, as well as requirements for administrative appeals. https://www.nbi-sems.com/ProductDetails/Practical-Guide-to-Zoning-and-Land-Use-Law-in-New-York/Course-Book-Download/97387DM
The Business of Cannabis, Leadership Series, Webinar
Rochester Business Journal and The Daily Record
https://rbj.net/webinars/business-of-cannabis-2022/
Cannabis – Is Your Community Going to Opt in or Out?, 2021 Joint Fall Meeting of the New York State Bar Association's Environmental & Energy Law Section and Local & State Government Law Section, The Statler Hotel at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
New York State Bar Association (NYSBA)
Local governments will face many choices as the new Cannabis Law in NYS is implemented. The most immediate decision is whether to opt — thereby prohibiting retail sales and on-site consumption — through the adoption of a local law by December 31, 2021. Those not opting out will face decisions about whether to revise their zoning, as well as commenting on any license applications proposed for their jurisdiction. This panel will explore the pros and cons of opting in or out by December 31, 2021.
New York Adult Use Marijuana: What Local Municipalities Need To Know”, New York State
New York State Bar Association, Committee on Cannabis Law
Ensuring Local Governments Comply With The Law: An Overview of New York’s Open Meetings Law, Rochester, New York
National Business Institute
Navigating Open Meetings Law Compliance Issues, Rochester, New York
National Business Institute
Awards
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America Award in the fields of (1) "Environmental Law" and (2) "Land Use and Zoning Law"
Best Lawyers
Award for (1) Environmental Law & (2) Zoning & Land Use Law in August 2023 (4th Ed) Recognition by Best Lawyers is based on peer-reviewed evaluations, & is designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same region & legal practice area. Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, & transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful & substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services.
"Rising Star" Award in "State Local & Municipal Law" in Upstate New York from SuperLawyers
SuperLawyers
SuperLawyers uses a multiphase selection process that combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research. Only 2.5% of attorneys in Upstate New York receive this distinction for excellence in legal practice.
"Rising Star" Award in "Cannabis Law" in Upstate New York from SuperLawyers
SuperLawyers
SuperLawyers uses a multiphase selection process that combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research. Only 2.5% of attorneys in Upstate New York receive this distinction for excellence in legal practice.
“Rising Star” Award in "Environmental Litigation" in Upstate New York from SuperLawyers
SuperLawyers
SuperLawyers uses a multiphase selection process that combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research. Only 2.5% of attorneys in Upstate New York receive this distinction for excellence in legal practice.
"Up and Coming Attorney" Award and "Excellence in Law" Honoree
The Daily Record and Rochester Business Journal
The Daily Record and Rochester Business Journal bestowed the “Up and Coming Attorneys” award as part of their 2021 “Excellence in Law” program. The award honors attorneys who have demonstrated professional accomplishments, community service, and a strong commitment to the legal profession.
“Rising Star” Award in "Zoning and Land Use" Law in Upstate New York from SuperLawyers
SuperLawyers
SuperLawyers uses a multiphase selection process that combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research. Only 2.5% of attorneys in Upstate New York receive this distinction for excellence in legal practice.
Professional Associations
New York State Bar Association
Member
- Current
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Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
New York
New York State Office of Court Administration
ID Number: 5480561
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Ohio
Supreme Court of Ohio Office of Attorney Services
ID Number: 0092698
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2nd Circuit
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6th Circuit
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U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
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U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
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U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
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U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
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Fees
  • Credit Cards Accepted
Practice Areas
    Environmental Law
    Municipal Law
    Real Estate Law
    Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Easements, Eminent Domain, Homeowners Association, Land Use & Zoning, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate, Water Law
    Cannabis & Marijuana Law
    Appeals & Appellate
    Civil Appeals
Languages
  • English: Spoken, Written
Websites & Blogs
Website
The Zoghlin Group Website - Jacob Zoghlin
Blog
ZogBlog
Contact & Map
THE ZOGHLIN GROUP, PLLC
300 State St
502
Rochester, NY 14614
Telephone: (585) 434-0790