John F. Lyons

John Lyons is an attorney who has practiced actively in the fields of land use, environmental and real estate law since his admission to the bar in 1985. Since co-founding the firm of Grant & Lyons, LLP, in 1994, he has completely dedicated his practice to those fields.

For most of his career, he has represented a wide spectrum of clients having environmental and land use concerns, frequently representing citizens groups and environmental and historic preservation organizations. He has extensive experience in representing clients before planning boards, town boards, and zoning boards of appeal, as well as before government agencies such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He has also represented municipalities in connection with land use, zoning and environmental matters. Mr. Lyons is particularly experienced in all facets of environmental reviews conducted pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). He is also experienced in defending both governmental and private lawsuits brought pursuant to State and Federal superfund laws. Mr. Lyons began his career as a litigator and has developed a broad range of litigation experience in connection with land use and environmental issues, and in particular with Article 78 proceedings.

Besides his land use and environmental law practices, Mr. Lyons has also maintained a significant real estate law practice for more than twenty years. He has represented buyers and sellers in both commercial and residential real estate transactions. He has represented individuals, commercial entities, developers, investors and estate owners. He has developed a network of contacts with other top-level professionals in related disciplines such as surveyors, engineers, structural inspectors and realtors. Mr. Lyons is also a principal in his own real estate investment firm, Blackacre LLC.

Mr. Lyons is a cum laude graduate of the Pace University School of Law, which is nationally recognized for its environmental law program. While a student at Pace, he was a published member of the Law Review. He is currently an officer of the New York State Bar Association's Environmental Law Section and sits on the Section's Executive Committee. Mr. Lyons is the author of several articles on the subject of environmental law.