Jason Holt of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi in West Orange. Courtesy photo

What appears to be Atlantic City's loss is Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi's gain.

On Monday the firm announced that Jason Holt, former Atlantic City business administrator since 2016, has joined its West Orange office. He joins as a partner in two practice groups: real estate, development and land use, and property taxation and valuation.

Holt also was city solicitor for Atlantic City, serving as the municipality's top lawyer, and has some two decades' experience working in local government, the firm noted. He was previously corporation counsel for East Orange and held several other municipal positions in Essex County before leaving for Atlantic County.

"I look forward to bringing a solid blend of seasoning involving both public and private sector entities, with an intimate understanding of the nuts and bolts of the governmental transactional decision-making process," Holt said in an email to the Law Journal on Monday on what he hopes to bring to the Chiesa Shahinian.

In 2016, Holt was selected by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs as the seaside resort city's business administrator, a role in which he assisted in the implementation of the Municipal Stabilization and Recovery Act and negotiated several hundred million dollars in tax appeals, the firm said.

The firm's release Monday stated that he assisted Atlantic City through a period of "fiscal volatility, major bankruptcy matters and an unprecedented drop in its tax base" after a series of casinos closed as new gambling competition rose along the East Coast and toppled Atlantic City's former monopoly.

In his new role, the firm said Holt will be assisting municipalities and developers with drafting and negotiating redevelopment plans and agreements, as well as "Payment in Lieu of Taxes" (PILOT) agreements, tax appeals and tax exemptions, areas in which he has substantial experience.

"Jason's dynamic background as both a lawyer and municipal leader brings a fresh perspective to the negotiating table," Francis Giantomasi, a name partner and member of the firm's real estate group, said in the release. "His understanding of the legal conditions needed for successful municipal planning, and also the business drivers that make these deals mutually beneficial and sustainable, will undoubtedly add value to our client advisory teams."

Holt said he looked forward to the next chapter in his legal career and joining a firm "as extraordinarily well-respected and uniquely attuned to the needs of the municipalities and businesses it serves" as is Chiesa Shahinian.

"In rejoining private practice, it was critical for me to transition to a firm with the resources, the platform and—importantly—the right people to help throttle my practice forward," Holt said in the email. "I have long known of the firm as an energized collective of brilliant legal minds and, since joining, have found here a first-class, collegial culture which I am proud to be a part of."

He is a graduate of Cornell University and Rutgers University Law School, and is licensed to practice in New Jersey and before various federal jurisdictions, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He holds a Diplomate in New Jersey Local Government Law from the New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys.

As corporation counsel, Holt oversaw East Orange's legal affairs, including introducing major redevelopment projects and handling high-profile lawsuits involving its employment practices and finances, according to the release, which noted that he was an adviser to the East Orange Police Department and assisted in enhancing its policing techniques.

Holt's other past positions include municipal court judge for Orange; deputy freeholder counsel to the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders; director of affirmative action for Essex County; and deputy legislative counsel to the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly through the Office of Legislative Services in Trenton.

"I believe that [Chiesa Shahinian] clients will benefit from this firsthand knowledge-based approach to stabilizing communities by building a bridge to economic permanency through invigorating nonperforming assets and fundamentally recalibrating opportunities using redevelopment and other business strategies as tools to enhance the aggregate ratable base of municipalities," Holt said in the same email. "A keen knowledge of these factors will be critical in developing the sustainable communities needed for New Jersey's future."