Liam L. Murphy

Liam maintains a broad practice grounded in all types of real estate matters. Liam’s litigation practice focuses on property law, including disputes involving title and boundary issues, easements, adverse possession and prescriptive easements; public and private road issues; title insurance claims; land use, zoning and Act 250; construction, condemnation and tax appeals. In the course of his practice, Liam has represented landowners, developers, municipalities and neighborhood groups in matters before the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, the Vermont Supreme Court (16 reported cases), Vermont Superior Courts, the Vermont Environmental Court, the Vermont Environmental Board, the Water Resources Board, multiple Act 250 District Environmental Commissions, and various municipal zoning and planning boards.

Liam’s transactional practice focuses on representing property owners and developers to establish and manage their operating entities, to acquire, finance, permit, manage, lease and/or sell (including “1031 exchanges”) a wide variety of commercial, residential, hotel, recreational, office and shopping center properties, and to establish condominiums and common interest communities.

REPRESENTATIVE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS:

-Special Counsel to the City of Winooski in connection the largest urban redevelopment project in the state’s history, involving the acquisition of 125 acres from multiple owners through sales and condemnation, obtaining master plan approval to construct over 300,000 sq. ft. of retail/commercial space, a 250-room hotel, a 43,000 sq. ft. municipal center, 800 units of housing, and 3,100 parking spaces in multiple parking garages, and then working with private developers to implement the City’s vision for a redeveloped downtown.

-Represent developers in connection with acquisition, development, permitting, financing and leasing of numerous commercial and multi-family housing projects.

-Represent property owner in 1031 exchange involving the sale of a commercial stable and the acquisition of an existing self-storage facility.

-Represented a municipality in Environmental Division and Supreme Court appeals that upheld the municipality’s position that blasting, drilling, and crushing ledge rock for gravel product does not qualify as “gravel extraction” as permitted under the municipality’s zoning regulations.

-The Supreme Court also addressed the statutory “deemed approval” remedy for municipal panel decisions.

-Represented land owners in the Environmental Division and Supreme Court appeals involving issues of collateral attacks on zoning decisions and remedies of land owners relying on incorrect decisions made by zoning administrators.Represented parties in Probate Court involving disputes between executors, trustees and legatees of will and beneficiaries of trusts.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

Liam has served as a member of the boards of the Lake Champlain Land Trust, the Greenbelt Alliance, Goddard College and also provides volunteer legal services to a variety of Vermont land trusts and conservation organizations.