Jill Roberts

She received a B.A. with Distinction from the University of Virginia in 1972, and a J.D. with Honors from George Washington University National Law Center in 1987.

Ms. Roberts’ practice focuses on real estate transactions, with an emphasis on the acquisition, financing, sale and development of residential and mixed used projects. Her experience includes representation of a publicly traded homebuilder in connection with a joint venture with another publicly traded homebuilder for the acquisition and development of a mixed-use community, including office, retail, for sale and for rent residential, active recreation, and municipal facilities. This transaction included the negotiation of joint venture agreements, an acquisition contract, a $135,000,000 credit facility, land bay sales contracts, reciprocal easement and development agreements, and numerous agreements with the controlling municipality. ln another instance, Ms. Roberts represented a homebuilder in the acquisition of an 800-acre farm and guided the subsequent conveyance of the farm to the United States of America in exchange for 285 acres of the former Lorton correctional facility site. She also represented the developers of 4,000 acres in Loudoun County, which project consisted of four distinctive village areas within the framework of one overall community defined by natural open spaces, community agriculture, and activities that encourage an appreciation for the environment and land stewardship.  In that project, representing the developer, she negotiated and drafted the site work contracts, the professional services contracts and the contracts with more than ten builders for sale of finished residential building lots.

Ms. Roberts has spent significant time representing small builders in their efforts to acquire, subdivide, and develop land. Early in her career she also represented a lender to builders and became familiar with that side of the process.

Ms. Roberts has demonstrated expertise in virtually all areas of “dirt” law in a practice that includes transactions that range from negotiation and drafting of a simple easement agreement over a single residential lot to negotiation and drafting of a complex construction, operation and reciprocal easement agreement with big box retailer in a planned retail shopping center. She has drafted covenants; releases; homeowners association documents; all manner of shared cost and maintenance agreements; ground leases; deeds of subdivision, easement, dedication; corrective deeds; contracts to acquire, contracts to sell, and many other land-related documents.

Ms. Roberts’ practice also includes commercial and retail leasing. For example, she represented a local developer/owner of several Virginia shopping center in the negotiation of numerous leases, including a ground lease, with national restaurant chains and other national and local tenants.

While attending law school, Ms. Roberts was employed as Vice President and Corporate Secretary of a national manufacturer’s trade association where she was responsible for developing, writing, and editing numerous industry publications and for oversight of membership services programs.

Ms. Roberts is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the Fairfax Bar Association.