Legal Elite 2024: Business Law Q&A Jonathan T. Blank

Legal Elite 2024 Q&A is sponsored content.

Title: Partner and energy industry team co-chair; former chair of business and securities litigation; former Charlottesville office managing partner

Other legal specialties: As a trial lawyer, complex matters are my specialty. As a problem solver, not a problem creator, the more complex the better.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Virginia; law degree, U.Va. School of Law

Family: Dr. Susan Blank (wife), two sets of twin daughters, Madeline and Alexandra Blank (17) and Caroline and Isabel Blank (14); parents Irving and Rhona Blank, and sister Lisa Blank

Career mentors: Irving Blank of BlankMarcus, past Virginia State Bar president and past Virginia Law Foundation president. Everyone knows about his legal and leadership acumen, but he is a better father than lawyer. Richard Cullen, McGuireWoods’ former chair: Richard taught me the value of relationships, as well as if there is a problem to be solved, do not wait for others to solve it.

Fan of: Sports and in particular Caitlin Clark and U.Va. basketball

Bingeworthy TV shows: “Jack Ryan,” “The Diplomat” and “Only Murders in the Building”

How do you expect to see policies change or react to the growth of data centers in Northern Virginia? Local, state and federal energy policy will react, change and adapt to the growth of data centers across the state. Sustained economic growth in the commonwealth and across the country will depend in part on more data centers, and data centers must have reliable, secure energy sources. Every level of government needs to be committed and flexible to progress.

Commercial litigation related to generative AI tools seems to be rising. What types of cases are you seeing? AI tools are still in their nascent form, but they will find their way into every part of American jurisprudence. In the near term, substantive cases related to AI tools will continue to surface in labor and employment, intellectual property and business competition/trade secret cases. We will also see AI tools in tort and contract cases as well. From research to jury consulting to trial tactics, AI will influence every part of civil litigation.

Read all of the 2024 Virginia Legal Elite here.

Legal Elite 2024 Q&A is sponsored content.