James P. Horan

Construction Law
Environmental Law
Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
Municipal Law
Real Estate
Utility Law & Siting
Land Development & Zoning

James P. Horan has over 30 years of experience, emphasizing on municipal law, land use, and environmental law for public and private sector clients. He has advised municipal boards and departments on all aspects of New York State and Federal Law. Mr. Horan is an expert in environmental review and has drafted Environmental Impact Statements and other SEQRA documents for both public and private clients. Mr. Horan served as counsel for an intermunicipal water facility and has assisted municipalities with creating and expanding water, sewer, and drainage districts and acquiring easements and selling surplus properties. He has advised municipalities regarding highway law and state and federal highway regulations and serves as special prosecutor for violations of local laws, zoning ordinances and traffic laws. Mr. Horan works collaboratively with municipal boards and departments to improve the quality of life for residents and advocates vigorously for private clients.

Mr. Horan has litigated many cases in the trial courts and appellate courts of New York State and the Federal District Courts and Circuit Court of Appeals, including the precedent setting land use case of O’Mara v Town of Wappinger, 9 N.Y.3d 303 (2007) that confirmed that notes on a filed subdivision plat are enforceable against subsequent owners. As part of an eminent domain proceeding, Mr. Horan determined the public right of way of a turnpike laid out in the early 19th Century in Dutchess County using State Statutes and property records. Additionally, Mr. Horan successfully led a land use development team in obtaining state and local approvals for a complex rezoning of 321 acres for a project with industrial, commercial and residential uses.

Prior to working as an attorney, Mr. Horan worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry designing aircraft cockpits, structural components, pneumatic systems, and payload systems. His engineering experience and training has given him a unique skill set to advise his clients on both the legal and technical issues arising in infrastructure projects, land use projects, and environmental issues.

Mr. Horan joined Keane & Beane in 2025, after years of practice in the Hudson Valley, specializing in municipal and land use matters.

• State and Federal Courts of New York
• State and Federal Courts of New Jersey
• United States Patent Office

• New York State Bar Association, Local and State Government Law Section
• Dutchess County Bar Association

Mr. Horan has presented CLE programs on municipal issues for the New York State Bar Association.

Mr. Horan is active in fundraising programs for Regina Coeli Parish in Hyde Park, New York an provides legal advice to several Roman Catholic parishes in the Hudson Valley. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and previously served on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Catholic School Region of Dutchess County.

• 1993, J.D., cum laude, New York Law School (Articles Editor, Journal of International and Comparative Law)
• 1983, B.E., Cooper Union