Jonathan T. Blank, the managing partner of McGuireWoods’ Charlottesville, Virginia, office, has been selected as one of Virginia Lawyers Media’s 2016 “Leaders in the Law.” The annual awards recognize lawyers across the state for significant accomplishments such as changing the law, serving the community and improving Virginia’s justice system.
Blank is an accomplished litigator and former chair of the firm’s oil and gas team. He has litigated mineral rights, royalty, transportation, construction, consumer protection, antitrust, fraud and other complex matters in the industry. His energy practice crosses all spectrums of the industry, including alternative energy issues.
Among his many honors, in 2015 he was named among an elite group of lawyers recognized for client service excellence in BTI Consulting Group’s annual Client Service All-Stars report, which is based on feedback from leading corporate decision-makers.
Blank also has been active in efforts to improve the justice system. He is the president of the Legal Aid Justice Center and treasurer of the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society. Both nonprofit organizations provide legal services to low-income individuals. He has been a member of the Virginia Bar Association’s Boyd-Graves Conference, which proposes improvements to Virginia’s civil law. And he chaired a special Virginia State Bar committee on bench-bar relations in 2011 and 2012.
Jonathan is the 11th McGuireWoods lawyer to be selected for Virginia Lawyers Media’s “Leaders in the Law” since the awards began in 2006. Previous honorees include firm Chairman Richard Cullen and partners Anne Marie Whittemore, Tom Spahn, John M. Oakey Jr., Melissa Glassman, Dale Mullen, Scott Oostdyk, George K. Martin, Robert F. Redmond, and John D. Padgett.
“I’m honored to be included among the exceptional lawyers who were selected for this year’s class and proud to join my McGuireWoods colleagues who have been recognized in previous years,” Blank said.
The 2016 “Leaders in the Law” class will be honored at an Oct. 27 reception at the John Marshall Hotel in Richmond. Honorees also will be profiled in a Virginia Lawyers Weekly supplement.