Pictured: The former bridge over the old railroad right-of-way in Victoria, Virginia (located just behind our law office). Municipal law is more than just FOIA requests—municipalities have needs that intersect with several highly technical areas of the law. Allow our full-service municipal lawyers to assist you.
Let the Experienced Municipal Lawyers at Hawthorne & Hawthorne Help with Your Stewardship of the Public Trust
Our municipal lawyers are available to represent municipalities such as towns and counties (and related entities such as industrial development authorities) either as general counsel or on an ad hoc basis as special counsel. We pride ourselves on being a full-service law firm. Because our attorneys individually have different skill sets, have varying backgrounds, and collectively handle a diverse array of matters, we are able to advise municipalities even on matters that typically fall outside of the purview of day-to-day municipal operations. In particular, we are pleased to offer the following services:
- Real Estate Closings. As a firm with a strong real estate practice group, we are well-equipped to handle real estate closings on commercial or industrial properties, including both leases and purchases. Our real estate lawyers are able to help with all aspects of your real estate closing, from the initial negotiations through the signing of the appropriate legal documents.
- Real Estate Litigation. Municipalities rely strongly on their real estate holdings to serve the public. This is particularly true when it comes to public water supplies and public roads. But sometimes private landowners try to interfere with these rights. For example, a private landowner might challenge the validity or the use of an easement on which the municipality relies to access the local reservoir. Our experienced real estate litigation lawyers are able to help municipalities protect their rights to their real estate holdings.
- Conservation Easements. Conservation easements are voluntary agreements in which private landowners agree to limit development of their land. Purchasing a conservation easement (also known as the purchase of development rights) can be a cost-effective way for a municipality to protect its real estate holdings by creating a buffer of undeveloped land around a municipal property. The classic case for this is protecting the immediate watershed around a municipal water supply from being developed so as to maintain water quality. Conservation easements are particularly useful when the municipal real estate holdings are located outside of the corporate limits of a municipality, where the municipality has no zoning authority (as is often the case for municipal water supplies). Our experienced conservation easement lawyers are available to help ensure that municipal real estate holdings remain buffered by private land that is restricted to compatible uses.
- Other Municipal Matters. We are also able to advise municipalities with regard to more ordinary municipal matters, such as Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Of course, we are able to offer a wide variety of services relating to document review, negotiation, and general litigation, as would be expected from any full-service law firm.
Contact One of Our Municipal Lawyers Without Delay!
If you represent a municipality, you already know that municipal laws can be complicated and highly technical. Your municipality needs competent legal representation to ensure that it remains a good steward of the public trust. Our lawyers are available to help municipal clients throughout Southside Virginia, including municipalities in Amelia County, Appomattox County, Buckingham County, Brunswick County, Campbell County, Charlotte County, Cumberland County, Dinwiddie County, Halifax County, Lunenburg County, Mecklenburg County, Nottoway County, and Prince Edward County. Contact one of our municipal lawyers today to discuss how Hawthorne & Hawthorne can assist with your legal needs!
