Lawyers / Professionals

 
Daniel K. Slone       
Partner
One James Center
901 East Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-4030
T: 804.775.1041
F: 804.698.2175
dslone@mcguirewoods.com
 

Mr. Slone assists innovative clients in designing and implementing their projects. He helps them create the right entities, put together the appropriate strategies, overcome impediments and put together effective contracts for the new types of relationships they create.

Most of his clients fit into one of five different groups:

Green Businesses. He helps businesses selling green products and technology with structure, financing and intellectual property issues. He assists them in developing sustainability programs, avoiding greenwash and putting relationship contracts in place for everything from distribution, sensitive data management to eco-symbiosis commitments.

Developers. He has assisted developers in developing their project concepts, conducting project charrettes and zoning large scale mixed use projects. He drafts the governance documents and codes for complex, new and retrofitted communities. He helps purchasers understand the impact of new, green building legislation and green leases. Mr. Slone helps his developer clients utilize and create new utility structures for more sustainable power and water. He assists them in negotiating with agencies on contamination, wetlands, historic resources and endangered species issues as well.

Localities. He helps localities create new codes utilizing form-based coding, the SmartCode and sustainability provisions. He assists in the design of infill upgrades and complex zoning approaches such as "planned densification" necessary for modern transit oriented development.

Professionals. Mr. Slone works with a wide range of professionals - doctors, lawyers, architects, planners and consultants - in designing and implementing unusual projects and new business approaches. He provides advice on entity structure, intellectual property, contracts and new market considerations.

Non-profits. Over the last decade, he has represented and advised national and international urban and sustainability non-profits on a wide range of subjects, from structure and governance to contracts, intellectual property and litigation matters.


Representative Matters
  • Green Businesses
    • Negotiated product distribution contract in Japan
    • Negotiated pivotal regulatory treatment by EPA
    • Helped launch corporate sustainability program in international manufacturer
    • Negotiated key supply chain contract from Chinese manufacturer to US company
    • Helped structure and advise a network of green product manufacturers
  • Developers
    • Zoned a transit oriented development of 3.2 million square feet of commercial space and 8,000 thousand dwelling units
    • Zoned a large-scale traditional neighborhood development in a highly sensitive historic and archeological to widespread approval
    • Created innovative approaches to urban agriculture, sustainability, and community, creating governance structures in numerous different communities in several different countries and 17 different states
    • Assisted in the zoning approach or actual zoning of urban and sustainable communities in nine states
    • Served as part of a ULI panel advising a resort community property owner association on adaptation and retrofit of their community
  • Localities
    • Advised Georgia regional planning group on sustainability coding issues
    • Assisted Mississippi locality in rewrite of Comprehensive Plan and adoption of a SmartCode
    • Assisted Michigan locality in adoption of form-based code
    • Assisted Indiana and Virginia localities in resolution of zoning issues and new code development
    • Helped relocate towns in Missouri and Illinois after flooding by Mississippi
  • Professionals
    • Assist engineering company in Central American strategy and contracts
    • Assist architectural firm in patent work and contracts around the world
    • Help UK consultants in creation of USA subsidiary
    • Assist publisher in business deals and strategic planning
    • Help green consultants develop new products
  • Non-profits
    • Counsel for US Green Building Council for the past dozen years
    • Counsel for World Green Building Council since its creation
    • Counsel for Congress for the New Urbanism for 17 years
    • Advise many non-profits on structural, intellectual property, labor and contract issues
    • Assist non-profits in negotiation of important government contracts
  • Additional Representative Projects

Practices & Industries
Honors
  • Named One of the "Best Lawyers in America," Woodward/White, Inc., 2006-2012
  • Named to Lawdragon 3000 Leading Lawyers in America List, 2009-2011
  • Named One of "America's Leading Lawyers," Environmental Law, Chambers USA, 2004-2011
  • Named a Virginia "Super Lawyer," 2005-2011
  • Recipient, World Green Building Council Chairman's Award
  • Recipient, Henry David Thoreau Environmental Conservator, Better Housing Coalition 2010 Groundbreaker Award
  • Recipient, Special Recognition for Service Award, Virginia Sustainable Building Network, 2006
  • Recipient, Leadership Award, James River Green Building Council, 2005
  • Member of three different teams winning Charter Awards from the Congress for the New Urbanism
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Omicron Delta Kappa

Publications
  • Books
    • "Sustainability Planning and the Law" and "The Legal Impediments Survey," Sustainable and Resilient Communities: A Comprehensive Action Plan for Towns, Cities, and Regions, Stephen Coyle, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. March 2011
    • "New Urbanism as a Site Planning Tool," Green Building and Sustainable Development - The Practical Legal Guide, American Bar Association, 2009
    • A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Architects, Planners and Developers, Co-authored with Doris Goldstein, John Wiley & Sons, September 2008
    • "Maintaining Sustainability," Developing Sustainable Planned Communities, July 2007
    • "The Energy of Eco-Industrial Development and Legal Elements of Eco-Industrial Development," Eco-industrial Strategies-Unleashing Synergy Between Economic Development and the Environment, November 2003
  • Articles
    • "Emerging Issues in Green Building," Co-authored with Adam S. Lovelady, Virginia Land Title Association Examiner, 2009
  • Previous publications

Speaking Engagements
  • "Understanding the Role of Sustainable Urbanism in the Conservative Agenda," CNU 20 - The New World, West Palm Beach, FL (May 11, 2012)
  • "Too Much Water or Too Little? Using the Landscape to Advance Regional Sustainability Without Destroying Urbanism: A Florida Transect," CNU 20 - The New World, West Palm Beach, FL (May 10, 2012)
  • "Sprawl Retrofit: Corridors as the Thread that Tie Everything Together," CNU 20 - The New World, West Palm Beach, FL (May 9, 2012)
  • "202 G: Reshaping the Homeowners' Association in Tough Times: Can We Turn Enemies Into Allies?" CNU 20 - The New World, West Palm Beach, FL (May 9, 2012)
  • "Integrating Residential and Community Energy Efficiency," Low Carbon Earth Summit, Dalian, China (Oct. 26, 2011)
  • "HUD Retrofitting Suburbia," US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (Oct. 20, 2011)
  • "Legal Aspects of Green Building Policy," US Environmental Protection Agency, Newport News, VA (Oct. 10, 2011)
  • "Retrofitting the American Dream," 2011 Smart Growth Summit, Baton Rouge, LA (Aug. 18, 2011)
  • "Drafting Adopting and Implementing Form-Based Codes to Achieve Sustainable Communities," Florida Bar CLE Seminar, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Aug. 12, 2011)
  • "Coding for Sustainable Development," APA Virginia 2011 Annual Conference, Wintergreen, VA (July 22, 2011)
  • "Building, Block and City Context for EcoDistricts, Microgrids, NetZero Neighborhoods and Smartblocks," CNU 19 - Growing Local, Madison, WI (June 4, 2011)
  • "Sprawl Retrofit Action: From Design to Reality; Seeping vs. Sweeping," CNU 19 - Growing Local, Madison, WI (June 3, 2011)
  • "Retrofitting Suburbia," CNU 19 - Growing Local, Madison WI (June 1, 2011)
  • "Sustainable Neighborhoods: Best Practices," ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, Washington, D.C. (May 25, 2011)
  • "Planned Densification: Issues of Planning, Building and Harvesting Value of Anticipated Densities," Makeover Montgomery: Innovative Strategies for Rethinking America's Suburbs, Silver Spring, MD (April 16, 2011)
  • "Retrofitting and Repairing Suburban Sprawl," Greenprints 2011, Atlanta, GA (March 14, 2011)
  • "National TOD Node and Development Trends and How National Trends and Regional Case Studies Apply Locally," ULI Richmond Quarterly Speaker Program, Richmond, VA (March 8, 2011)
  • "Integrating More Sustainable Design into Form-Based Codes," 10th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth, Charlotte, NC (Feb. 3, 2011)
  • "Green/Sustainability in Richmond," CityGreen, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA (Dec. 9, 2010)
  • "Green Building Challenge and Opportunities," Cities Alive 8th Annual Green Room 7 Wall Conference, Vancouver, BC (Dec. 1, 2010)
  • "How to Integrate a Form-Based Code with Existing Code," SmartCode @ Work Webinar Series (on-line) (Nov. 18, 2010)
  • "GreenBuild Legal Forum Panel: Issues in Data Collection and Use," GreenBuild 2010, Chicago, IL (Nov. 18, 2010)
  • "Teaching ABC's of Form-Based Codes," Form Based Codes Institute, Covington, KY (Nov. 10, 2010)
  • "Sustainability in Historic Downtowns," Virginia Downtown Development Association, Charlottesville, VA (Nov. 4, 2010)
  • "Green Buildings: User Behaviors," VCU Rice Center and MeadWestvaco Pre-Conference to VA Governor's Conference on Energy, Richmond, VA (Oct. 12, 2010)
  • "Regulatory Frameworks and Implementation," CNU Illinois Sprawl Repair in Chicagoland, Chicago, IL (Oct. 7, 2010)
  • "Integrating Sustainable Design Elements into Form-Based Codes," Form Based Codes Institute Webinar (June 22, 2010)
  • "Managing Sustainability with an Ever Increasing Vocal Civil Society," 2010 Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Conference, New York, NY (June 18, 2010)
  • "Sprawl Retrofit," CNU 18 - New Urbanism: RX for Healthy Places, Atlanta, GA, Panelist (May 22, 2010)
  • "Agricultural Urbanism", CNU 18 - New Urbanism: RX for Healthy Places, Atlanta, GA, Panelist (May 22, 2010)
  • "Where to go from Here? Rethinking Stalled Suburban Development," CNU 18 - New Urbanism: RX for Healthy Places, Atlanta, GA (May 21, 2010)
  • "Coding for LEED for Neighborhood Development," CNU 18 - New Urbanism: RX for Healthy Places, Atlanta, GA (May 20, 2010)
  • "Retrofitting Suburbia", CNU 18 - New Urbanism: RX for Healthy Places, Atlanta, GA (May 20, 2010)
  • "Legal Issues," SmartCode Workshop, Atlanta, GA (May 19, 2010)
  • "Zoning, the different types and how "formed based zoning" would impact our community," Hampshire County Planning Commission, Romney, WV, (Apr. 21, 2010)
  • "Greening Your Community," The Steward School, Richmond, VA (Feb. 22, 2010)
  • "Re-Thinking Land Use with Sustainability In Mind," Urban Land Institute, Richmond, VA (Feb. 19, 2010)
  • "Retrofitting the Suburban Landscape: Legal Challenges, Property Opportunities, and Design Considerations," 9th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, Seattle, WA (Feb. 5, 2010)
  • "Overcoming Legal and Political Barriers to Sustainable Urban Development," CNU-FL Statewide Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, (Jan. 28, 2010)
  • "ABCs of Form-Based Codes," Form Based Codes Institute Workshop, St. Petersburg, FL (Jan. 27, 2010)
  • Previous speaking engagements

Professional Affiliations
  • Congress for the New Urbanism
    • Member, Board of Directors (2011)
    • Charter Member, General Counsel (1992-2010)
  • U.S. Green Building Council, Member and Outside Counsel
  • Bioregional North America, Advisory Board Member (One Planet Communities)(since 2009)
  • National Charrette Institute, Board of Directors (since 2007)
  • Greening America, Board of Directors (since 1995)
  • Form Based Codes Institute, Board of Directors (since 2007)
  • Seaside Institute, Board of Directors (2002-2011)
  • Eco-Industrial Development Council, Charter Board of Directors, now Advisory Board (since 2002)
  • Inger & Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences, Board of Directors (2003-2011)
  • Tricycle Gardens Board of Directors (2011)
  • Transect Codes Council Charter Board Member (since 2010)
  • Virginia Sustainable Building Network, General Counsel
  • Chair of Virginia Sustainable Future Committee - Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (2000/2001)
  • Virginia Subdivision Street Requirements Implementation Advisory Committee, Virginia Department of Transportation (2007-2008)
  • Secondary Street Acceptance Requirements Advisory Committee, Virginia Department of Transportation (2009-2010)
  • Green Building Advisory Committee, City of Richmond, Virginia (since 2009)
  • Intergovernmental Green Building Group, City of Richmond, Virginia (2007-2008)
  • Sustainability Plan Advisory Committee, City of Richmond, Virginia (2011)
  • Virginia Bar Association
 

EDUCATION

University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, J.D., cum laude, 1983

  • Journal of Law Reform, Note Editor

Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama, B.A. Philosophy; B.A. Political Science, summa cum laude, 1980

  • Newspaper Editor
 
 

ADMITTED

Virginia 1983

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit

 

PLACE OF BIRTH

Greeneville, Tennessee