Perez, Luis O.

Jim Cornwell is a member of Sands Anderson's Local Government and Business and Real Estate practice groups specializing in economic planning and development, local government law, environmental law as well as zoning and land use issues. In addition, Jim is Managing Partner of the Blacksburg office of the firm.

He represents local government entities by providing daily support and advice, appearing at public meetings and hearings, and, when required, representing them as a litigator. He currently serves as City Attorney for the City of Galax, County Attorney for the Counties of Carroll, Craig, Floyd, and Lancaster, Town Attorney for Narrows and also serves as counsel to several water, sewer and solid waste authorities. He serves as special counsel and handles delinquent real estate tax collection for several jurisdictions. Jim also represents individuals and corporate clients in regulatory and governmental matters including land use and environmental matters.

Jim is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Supreme Court of the United States and before the Supreme Court of England and Wales as a Solicitor.

In addition to providing daily advice to local governments and individual clients, Jim is directly involved in litigation. In this role, he regularly appears at all court levels in Virginia and has appeared before state agencies such as the Virginia Racing Commission, Worker's Compensation Board, Unemployment Commission and Department of Environmental Quality.

Examples of cases in which Jim has been involved include:

• Representing the Town of Narrows in successfully terminating a cable television franchise for failure to provide proper service. (Narrows v Clear-View Cable TV, (227 Va. 272 (1984)).
• Serving as Special Counsel for the County of Brunswick to ensure that proper zoning and procurement procedures were followed in the siting of a private landfill in the County. (Concerned Taxpayers v. County of Brunswick, (249 Va. 320 (1995)).
• Obtaining a favorable verdict for localities in the area of land use vesting. (Board of Zoning Appeals v. CaseLin Systems, Inc. (256 Va. 210 (1998)).
• Appearing before the Virginia State Corporation Commission to successfully defend against a proposal to construct a high-voltage power line through a scenic area.
• Representing the County of Page in matters concerning the operation of the Page County landfill and litigation involving the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and related matters, including proceedings against the operator of the landfill, including litigation before the U. S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington Delaware (DEQ vs. County of Page, et. als. Cir. Ct. City of Richmond; Page County vs. NWS, Cir. Ct. County of Page 2000-2006).
• Successfully defending the County of Lancaster, Virginia, in a redistricting action challenging the county's election districts (Town of Whitestone, et. als. The County of Lancaster, Virginia, et. als. Cir. Ct. Lancaster County 2002).
• Appearing before the State Corporation Commission to successfully defend property owners against a proposal to construct a high-voltage power line in the location of the properties owned by them in Loudon County.
• Successfully representing the Carroll Grayson Galax Solid Waste Authority in a Zoning controversy with the Town of Hillsville to obtain the permit from DEQ to expand an existing landfill (Carroll Grayson Galax Solid waste Authority v. Town of Hillsville, Virginia Cir. Ct. Carroll County 2005).
• Representing the Town of Blacksburg Board of Zoning Appeals in matters related to "Big Box" commercial development in the Town (2008).

Jim has held numerous posts including serving as the first full-time County Attorney for Dinwiddie County, County Attorney for New Kent County and as Counsel in forming Virginia First Regional Industrial Development Authority. He currently serves as counsel to Pepper's Ferry Regional Wastewater Treatment Authority, Carroll Grayson Galax Regional Solid Waste Authority, Carroll Grayson Galax Regional Industrial Development Authority and is forming The Wired Road Authority, a wireless authority. He served as a substitute judge for the General District Courts and as substitute judge for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts, both for the 29th Judicial Circuit for nearly 10 years. Jim has been listed in the Virginia Business Legal Elite for his land use, environmental and real estate experience in 2004 and again in 2007.