Mr. Griffen focuses his practice on real property taxation, real estate and environmental and land use law. He handles real property tax reduction cases and counsels clients on alternative strategies to manage their property tax.

Mr. Griffen has represented clients in the purchase and sale of a broad range of properties throughout New York State, from large unimproved tracts of land to commercial parcels. He has extensive experience in real estate matters, title insurance issues, leases, real estate transactions, and mortgage lending, both as counsel to lenders and borrowers. He has served as counsel to industrial development agencies and local development corporations.

Mr. Griffen has represented developers of substantial residential subdivisions, commerce parks, shopping centers, and commercial projects. He has assisted clients in proceedings under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and in obtaining state and local environmental and land use approvals. He has served as attorney and special counsel to local municipalities and improvement districts in connection with complex land use and environmental matters.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Griffen was most recently executive director of the New York State Office of Real Property Services, the state's executive office responsible for the supervision, review and equalization of real property tax assessments in New York State. Mr. Griffen has long been dedicated to public service. While at the Office of Real Property Services, he was appointed by Governor Pataki to serve on a number of task forces dealing with property tax and other state and local government policy issues. He is a veteran of the United States Army.