George is the former managing partner of the firm’s Richmond office. The primary focus of his practice is complex public private partnership transactions. He has represented all parties to the transaction and teaches a class at the University of Virginia Law School on the Law of Public Private Partnerships. His extensive experience with P3s includes negotiating and drafting comprehensive development agreements for public-private partnerships and has worked on bond financings to fund construction of those projects.
Also he practices construction, commercial real estate and local government law. He has represented public and private entities on numerous real estate projects, including construction, acquisition and disposition of real property, and redevelopment and adaptive re-use.
His construction practice focuses on representing owners, design professionals, contractors and subcontractors with negotiating and drafting design and construction contracts. He has more than 20 years of experience handling construction-related transactions, including joint ventures, public-private partnerships and project finance transactions.
George has negotiated and drafted numerous construction-related agreements, including design-build, construction, construction management (agency and at-risk), design, program management, project management, and development agreements. Project examples include luxury hotels; convention centers; office buildings and corporate headquarters campus projects; environmental remediation; museums and exhibit contracts; multifamily housing and mixed-finance development; water and sewer projects; road construction; hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers; roasting plants; manufacturing and distribution plants; luxury homes; and retail.
Throughout his career, George has been involved in firm management. He has served on the firm’s advisory, pension and recruiting committees. He is also a member of the firm’s education law team and has handled numerous education related real estate and construction matters. Additionally, he served as rector at the University of Virginia and has extensive experience with governance matters in higher education.
Experience
- Representation of Fortune 100 financial services company in all aspects of design and construction for various projects including new corporate campus.
- Representation of educational institutions in connection with public private partnerships for the development of off balance sheet student housing.
- Representation of Fortune 500 company in connection with various construction contracts related to design and construction of major manufacturing facilities.
- Representation of college related foundations in connection with various construction projects, including student housing, dining facility, urban campus and golf course.
- Representation of regional authority in connection with major convention center expansion.
- Representation of redevelopment authorities in connection with various public private partnerships, including office buildings, parking garages, and mixed income housing.
- Representation of various owners in connection with design and construction of major hotel projects.
- Representation of economic development authorities in connection with public private partnerships for development of jet engine manufacturing facility and wetlands mitigation bank.
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Howard University School of LawJD
Member and Managing Editor, Howard Law Journal
1978 - University of VirginiaBA1975
Member, Greater Richmond Partnership Leadership Circle, 2021
Member (Appointed by Virginia Supreme Court), Virginia Board of Bar Examiners, 1991-2001
Member (Appointed by Governor of Virginia), James Madison University Board of Visitors, 1999-2003
Member (Appointed by Governor of Virginia), Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education, 1998-1999
Commissioner in Chancery, (Appointed by Richmond Circuit Court)
Rector; Member, Board of Visitors, 2011-2015, The University of Virginia
Member, Board of Visitors, Regent University School of Law, 2002-present
Affiliate Member, American Institute of Architects
Member; Board of Directors; Secretary; Treasurer, Housing and Development Law Institute
Member; Section on State and Local Government Law; Section on Real Estate Law; Forum Committee on Construction; Forum Committee on Affordable Housing, American Bar Association
Member, Section on Construction and Public Contracts; Section on Real Estate, Virginia Bar Association
Member, Old Dominion Bar Association
Member, National Association of Bond Lawyers
Mentor, Virginia Heroes Program
Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Construction, Law360, 2019-2022
- Speaker, Richmond Development Opportunities, February 13, 2024
- Speaker, "Social Infrastructure," Building for the Future, Washington, DC, March 2018
- Speaker, "Brownfields Development," National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, August 20, 2012
- Speaker, "Eminent Domain Legislation in Virginia," Virginia Association of Housing and Development Officials, August 2012
- Moderator, "HUD General Conditions in Construction Contracts," Housing and Development Law Institute, August 2012
- Moderator, "Investing in South Africa," American Bar Association, August 2012
- Moderator, "Redevelopment Projects," Housing and Development Law Institute, August 2012
- Speaker, "Public Private Partnerships," Virginia Association of Housing Development Officials, August 2012
- Speaker, "Public Private Partnerships from the Public Entity’s Perspective," Lorman Seminars, August 2012
- Speaker, "Public Private Partnerships," Local Government Attorneys Association, August 2012
- Speaker, "Brownfields Development," Virginia Association of Housing Development Officials, August 2012
- Speaker, "Construction Contracts," Virginia Association of Housing Development Officials, August 2012
- Moderator, "Eminent Domain after KELO," Housing and Development Law Institute, August 2012
- Speaker, "Elements of Term Sheets and Letters of Intent," Association of Corporate Counsel Real Estate Committee, June 2012
- Speaker, "Hot Tips for Term Sheets and Letters of Intent," Association of Corporate Counsel Real Estate Committee, June 2012
- Speaker, "Construction Law," Association of Corporate Counsel Real Estate Committee, Webcast, May 2012
- Speaker, "Statutory and Contractual Duties of Design Professionals and Contractors in Green Construction," Half-Moon Seminars, May 2012
- Speaker, Virginia Construction Law Seminar, May 2012
- Speaker, "Public Private Partnerships and Major Infrastructure Construction," Lorman Seminars, 2010-2011
- Speaker, "Fundamentals of Construction Contracts," Lorman Seminars, August 2011
- Speaker, "When the Going Gets Tough, Owners Have Remedies," Association of Corporate Counsel Real Estate Committee, July 2011
- Speaker, "Public Private Partnerships and Major Infrastructure Construction," Lorman Seminars, June 2009, December 2009 and October 2010
- Speaker, Public/Private Partnerships and Major Infrastructure Construction, December 2009
- Speaker, "Public Private Partnerships," Lorman Seminars, February 2008
- Virginia
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Tax Court
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Construction Law, Municipal Law, Real Estate Law, Woodward/White, Inc., 2008-2026
Recipient, “Humanitarian Award,” Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, 2024
Named to “Legal Elite,” Construction, 2009-2012, 2014-2021, 2023, 2024; Profiled for Construction, 2015, Virginia Business
Selected as a Finalist, “Best Mentor: Law Firm,” The American Lawyer Industry Awards, 2023
Named to “Real Estate/Construction Law Trailblazers,” The National Law Journal, 2022
Named to “Pro Bono Service Honor Roll,” Virginia Access to Justice Commission, 2022
Selected to “Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame” Class of 2022, Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Named a “Lawyer of the Year,” Richmond, Municipal Law, 2013; Real Estate Law, 2021; Construction Law, 2022, The Best Lawyers in America
Recipient, “Hill-Tucker Public Service Award,” Richmond Bar Association, 2020
AV-Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
Fellow, Virginia Law Foundation
Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award in Administrative Law
Recipient, Virginia Bar Association LexisNexis Award for Leadership and Public Service, 2014
- Co-author, Zoning and Segregation in Virginia: Part 2 – Expanding Housing Choices for the Future of Virginia, McGuireWoods Study Paper, May 23, 2022
- Quoted, "4 Areas Of Construction To Watch, 2 Years Into The Pandemic," Law360, March 15, 2022
- Quoted, "Private Sector Could Help Fund $2T Infrastructure Bill," Law360, May 7, 2021
- Author, "The Construction Process from the Owner’s Perspective," Client Strategies for Working with Construction Firms, Chapter in Aspatore Books, 2008
- Author, "Additional Insured Status: Protecting Yourself When Adding a Company," Counsel to Counsel, June 28, 2010
- Author, Additional Insured Status: Protecting Yourself When Adding a Company, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, June 3, 2010