About ED

With over 50 years of experience in real estate, zoning, and land use law, Ed Mullin is one of the region’s most respected legal authorities. He is known for his trusted relationships with municipal officials and his practical, solution-driven advocacy. Ed has been recognized by Best Lawyers® as Philadelphia’s “Lawyer of the Year” in Land Use and Zoning Law.

Specialties

REAL ESTATE

LAND USE & ZONING

Admin Contact

Dawn Mikos
DMikos@HRMML.com

J. Edmund Mullin

(215) 661-0400 • EMullin@HRMML.com

J. Edmund Mullin co-chairs the Real Estate and Land Use Department of Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin. With more than 50 years of experience in real estate, zoning, and land use law, he is widely recognized as a leading authority in municipal and land use matters across Montgomery and Bucks Counties. Ed represents Fortune 500 companies and emerging businesses in industries ranging from oil and pharmaceuticals to retail. He regularly works with townships, boroughs, PennDOT, DEP, and county conservation districts, valued for both his trusted relationships with municipal officials and his ability to craft effective solutions without unnecessary red tape.

Deeply committed to his profession and community, Ed has served in numerous leadership roles. He is Chairman of the Joint State Government Commission charged with rewriting Pennsylvania’s real estate laws and has held every officer position at the Montgomery Bar Association, including President. He is also a past President of the Montgomery Bar Foundation and past chair of the MBA’s Community Outreach Committee. At the Pennsylvania Bar Association, he serves on the Judicial Evaluation Commission and previously sat in the House of Delegates. He is active nationally as a member of the Legal Action Network for Development Strategies (LANDS) and the American Land Title Association’s Title Action Network, and he was appointed to the Pennsylvania Builders Association MPC Municipal Abuse Special Committee in 2021.

Ed’s leadership extends beyond the legal community. He has served on the Boards of Directors of Continental Bank (now WSFS), Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Montgomery County Community College, and Saint Mary’s Villa, as well as the Board of Consultors at Villanova University School of Law. He was a former Trustee of Mercy Career & Technical High School and has contributed significantly to historic preservation through the Muhlenberg House Restoration Project.

His work has earned him numerous honors, including the Muhlenberg Award for Leadership from the Historical Society of Trappe, induction into the Hall of Fame of the Homebuilders Association of Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and recognition as Philadelphia’s “Lawyer of the Year” in Land Use and Zoning Law by Best Lawyers® in 2019. He has been consistently named to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list since 2004.

Ed earned both his B.A. from Villanova University and his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law.

 

  • Municipal and Land Use Law

    • Successfully represented Mother Teresa, pro bono, when a municipality tried to keep out one of her shelters.

    • Represented a developer in Bucks County who desired to build affordable housing in an exclusionary township. After studying the township’s ordinances and applicable law, a curative amendment was formulated which, upon filing, led the township to settle the matter without any hearings in a favorable light for the client.

    • Represented a local farmer who was denied a variance to erect a farmer’s market on his property in which food products other than those raised on the farm could be sold. Through a carefully crafted plan, diligent research and local interviews, Ed was able to successfully resolve the issue by organizing hearings where strong community support for the proposal was demonstrated, and the Board of Supervisors had to give permission in the face of the public outpouring.

    Real Estate Law

    • Represented scores of individuals and commercial clients in buying, selling, subdividing and developing real estate for numerous individuals and commercial clients.

    • Represented buyers, sellers, lenders, partnerships and syndications and has successfully assisted each with their real-estate needs.

  • Admissions

    • Pennsylvania 

    • United States Supreme Court

    • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court

    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

    Education

    • Villanova University School of Law, (J.D. 1966)

      • Honors: Order of the Coif (Top 10% of class; Law Review member)

    • Villanova University, (B.A. 1963)

    • Montgomery Bar Association

      • Past President

      • Treasurer

      • Secretary

      • Member, Realtor Liaison Committee

      • Past Chairman, Community Outreach Committee

      • Past Chairman, Fee Dispute Committee

    • Montgomery Bar Foundation

      • Past President

    • Pennsylvania Bar Association

      • Member, Judicial Evaluation Commission

      • House of Delegates, Past Representative

    • Pennsylvania Builders Association

      • MPC Municipal Abuse Special Committee

    • Legal Action Network for Development Strategies (LANDS)

      • Member

    • Chairman, Joint State Government Commission to Rewrite the Real Estate Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    • Home Builders Association of Montgomery and Bucks Counties

      • Member, Hall of Fame

    • American Land Title Association

      • Member, Title Action Network

    • Continental Bank, Past Member, Board of Directors

    • Montgomery County Community College, Retired 20-year Member, Board of Trustees

    • Muhlenberg House Restoration Project of the Trappe Historical Society

      • Head of the Century Club Committee

    • Gwynedd Mercy High School, Past Member, Board of Trustees

    • Mercy Career & Technical High School, Board of Trustees

    • Saint Mary’s Villa, Past Chairman of the Board

  • Speeches

    • Lecturer, Opening Plenary Session of the PBI 20th Annual Real Estate Institute: "The Year in Review"; 2016

    • Speaker, "Development Agreements – What Should Be Addressed; What Shouldn’t Be Addressed"; PBI 20th Annual Real Estate Institute, 2016

    • Lecturer, Opening Plenary Session of the PBI 19th Annual Real Estate Institute: "The Year in Review"; 2015

    • Speaker, "A Rezoning Case Study"; PBI 19th Annual Real Estate Institute, 2015

    • Lecturer, Opening Plenary Session of the PBI 18th Annual Real Estate Institute: "The Year in Review"; 2014

    • Lecturer, Opening Plenary Session of the PBI 17th Annual Real Estate Institute: "The Year in Review"; 2013

    • Speaker, "Understanding Land Development"; Pennsylvania Land Title Institute; August 7, 2013

    • Speaker and Panel Member, "Real Estate Road Blocks and Opportunities"; Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation; May 14, 2013

    • Lecturer, Opening Plenary Session of the PBI 16th Annual Real Estate Institute: "The Year in Review"; 2012

    • Lecturer, Opening Plenary Session of the PBI 15th Annual Real Estate Institute: "The Year in Review"; December 7, 2011

    • Lecturer, Pennsylvania Bar Institute seminar: "Land Use & Zoning 101"; December 8, 2010

    • Lecturer, Opening Plenary Session of the PBI 14th Annual Real Estate Institute: "The Year in Review"; December 2, 2010

    • Lecturer, PBI 14th Annual Real Estate Institute: "Subdivision & Land Development - A Practical View from the Trenches"; December 2, 2010

    • Lecturer, "Strategies to obtain a fair hearing before a Biased Tribunal", Montgomery Bar Association; April 2010

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, Pennsylvania Bar Institute

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, Philadelphia Bar Association

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, Montgomery Bar Association

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, Philadelphia Board of Realtors

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, Central Montgomery Board of Realtors

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, North Penn Board of Realtors

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, Montgomery County Association of Township Officials

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, Pennsylvania Association of Planners

    • Lecturer, Recent Zoning and Real-Estate Law, Montgomery County Association of Realtors

    • Lecturer, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2000 - 2014

    Publications

    • Buying or Selling a House? A New Act May Help Eliminate Potential Pitfalls, HRMM&L Legal Spotlight, February 13, 2017

    • Mother Teresa, HRMM&L Legal Spotlight, September 6, 2016

    • Developments in Real Estate Assessments, HRMM&L Legal Spotlight, May 24, 2016

    • FIRPTA Withholding Rate Increasing to 15%, HRMM&L Legal Spotlight, March 14, 2016

    • To Appeal or Not to Appeal - That is the Question!, HRMM&L Real Estate Update, May 2009

    • Fifty-Year Member Award, Pennsylvania Bar Association, 2017

    • Selected to Best Lawyers in America, 2014-2025

    • Named the Best Lawyers®2019 Land Use and Zoning Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Philadelphia.

    • Recognized as Top Attorney in Pennsylvania for Land Use/Zoning Law, Philadelphia Magazine, 2012

    • Listed as “Awesome Attorney” for Land Use/Zoning Law, Suburban Life Magazine, 2012

    • Pennsylvania Builders Association Hammers & Gavels Award, 2010

    • Muhlenberg Award for Leadership, 2000

    • Named to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list for Land Use/Zoning, 2004, 2006-Present. No more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by Super Lawyers each year.