John R. Walk - Attorney

John R. Walk - Attorney

 

John Walk is Chairman of the Litigation Section and serves on the firm's Board of Directors. He handles civil disputes with particular emphasis on cases arising in connection with the development of real property such as land use, environmental law, eminent domain, property assessment, insurance, and contract disputes. Since joining the firm in 1980, John has served as lead counsel in a wide variety of litigation matters ranging from routine business disputes to "bet the company" litigation. In addition to traditional courtroom litigation, John is also well versed in alternate dispute resolution including arbitration, mediation and judicial settlement negotiation.

Relevant Experience:

  • Zoning Litigation - This matter involved the defense of over 300 suits involving 40 law firms in northern Virginia challenging an amendment to the zoning ordinance of Fairfax County, Virginia. The case was appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court, with John handling oral argument on behalf of the county. The Virginia Supreme Court sustained the position of the county against all challenges presented to the Court.
  • Tax assessment appeals involving major commercial properties - A downturn in real estate activity resulted in most major commercial properties being substantially over assessed by local tax authorities. John has successfully prosecuted many such appeals on behalf of landowners and, on behalf of a local jurisdiction, served as lead trial counsel in a case involving a major office park with an aggregate assessment in excess of $100,000,000.
  • Condemnation Litigation - John has represented many landowners in condemnation litigation against VDOT and has secured substantial increases over pre-litigation offers.  He was also one of the few attorneys to defeat a condemnation for lack of public purpose in a case cited to the U.S. Supreme Court in Kelo as the leading authority in Virginia on point.
  • Environmental Matters - John has handled a variety of cases involving environmentally sensitive materials. In one case, a local government attempted to block relocation of a transformer recycling business due to its handling of small levels of PCBs. John was successful in forcing issuance of all necessary permits.
  • Estates and Trusts - Another area of concentration in John's practice is litigation involving estates and trusts, including construction of wills and trusts, estate tax allocation, fiduciary misconduct and aid, and guidance litigation. He has been involved in litigation regarding the administration of several multimillion dollar estates. One in particular involved the distribution of an approximately $19 million net estate and resulted in rulings on issues of first impression in Virginia in favor of our clients.
  • Class Actions - John served as one of the lead attorneys in a major class action resulting in a $25 million settlement and later served as trustee of the settlement fund in disbursing the proceeds of the case to hundreds of class members. This case was reported in the Wall Street Journal and other major financial publications.
  • Appellate Litigation - The Virginia Supreme Court hears all civil appeals on a discretionary basis, many seasoned trial attorneys have not argued a single Virginia Supreme Court case.  Rarely does an attorney in private civil practice argue more than one or two in a lifetime.  To date, John has handled thirteen (13) reported cases before the Virginia Supreme Court*, which follow.
    • Eagle Harbor, LLC v. Isle of Wight County, 271 Va. 603, 628 S.E.2d 298 (2006).
    • Cangiano v. LSH Building Co., LLC, 271 Va. 171, 623 S.E.2d 889 (2006).
    • Chesterfield Meadows Shopping Center Associates, L.P. v. Smith, 264 Va. 350, 568 S.E.2d 676 (2002).
    • Smith v. Chesterfield Meadows Shopping Center Associates, L.P., 259 Va. 82, 523 S.E.2d 834 (2000).
    • Board of Zoning Appeals of James City County v. University Square Associates, 246 Va. 290, 435 S.E.2d 385 (1993).
    • County of Fairfax v. Fleet Indus. Park Ltd. Partnership, 242 Va. 426, 410 S.E.2d 669 (1991).
    • County of Fairfax v. Southern Iron Works, Inc., 242 Va. 435, 410 S.E.2d 674 (1991).
    • Barrick v. Board of Supervisors of Mathews County, 239 Va. 628, 391 S.E.2d 318 (1990).
    • Counts v. Stone Container Corp., 239 Va. 152, 387 S.E.2d 481 (1990).
    • Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Underwriters, Inc. v. Allied Realty Co., Ltd., 238 Va. 458, 384 S.E.2d 613 (1989).
    • J.W. Woolard Mechanical & Plumbing, Inc. v. Jones Development Corp., 235 Va. 333, 367 S.E.2d 501 (1988).
    • City of Charlottesville v. DeHaan, 228 Va. 578, 323 S.E.2d 131 (1984).
    • Hening v. Maynard, 227 Va. 113, 313 S.E. 2d 379 (1984).

Education:

  • University of Richmond School of Law, J.D.
  • College of William & Mary, B.A.

Published Works/Speaking Engagements:

  • Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law
    • Courses: Virginia Civil Procedure and Advanced Trial Advocacy
  • Virginia Supreme Court, Pre-Bench Training, Virginia Civil Procedure
  • University of Richmond Law Review, Annual Survey of Virginia Law, Civil Practice and Procedure, 45 Uof R Law Rev. 183 (2010), 39 U of R Law Rev. 87 (2004); 40 U or R Law Rev. 95 (2005)
  • Weinberg Land Use Forum, Appealing Your Real Estate Tax Assessment: Navigating The Process And Avoiding Traps For The Unwary, Winter 2009

Recognition:

  • Martindale-Hubbell: AV Peer Review Rated
  • Virginia Business Magazine's Legal Elite, 2007-2011
  • Best Lawyers in America, 2008-2012
  • Boyd Graves Conference, Member of Steering Committee

Membership:

  • Virginia Bar Association
  • Richmond Bar Association
  • International Association of Assessing Officers
  • Local Government Attorneys

Bar Admission:

  • Virginia, 1980
* CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE.