Stafford attorney Clark Leming is the experts' expert on land zoning. He represents big developers and little guys, and says that through the years, Stafford supervisors have never been 'pushovers.'

Spotsylvania lawyer Ron Maupin is famous for the energy he has displayed during two decades of working land-use cases. He served as county attorney for seven years, then moved into full-time private practice.

Stafford land-use lawyer Clark Leming handles most development cases in fast-growing county

By RUTH FINCH

Date published: 2/20/2005

Former Stafford County Supervisor Ferris Belman knows Stafford County's land-use rules and processes as well as anybody.

Much of the county code and modern land-use practices were put into place during his 15-year tenure. And he made dozens of land-use decisions every month while a supervisor.

But last year, when Belman needed to rezone a half-acre to make up for parking spaces his store lost during a road expansion project, he hired a pro: Clark Leming.

"I could have probably done it without his help, but to cross all the t's and dot all the i's, it's better to turn it over to somebody," Belman said. "Clark knows the county code and the zoning code inside and out. That's the reason I chose him."

For the past 15 years, Leming has represented all of Stafford's big-name developers and many with smaller land-use concerns.

At Planning Commission meetings, it's not unusual for the attorney to represent every single applicant on the agenda. He feels right at home in front of the Board of Supervisors, always trading pleasantries and sometimes cracking jokes with those behind the bench.

Leming's legal footwork has brought Stafford Marketplace, the big-box retail center on Garrisonville Road. He's the one who guided large neighborhoods such as Augustine and Embrey Mills through the county's approval process.

He handled a suit that led the Virginia Supreme Court to overturn a downzoning in Spotsylvania County. And he has been wrangling with Stafford County for years over controversial development plans in Widewater and Crow's Nest.

Leming, 51, said he never set out to be a land-use attorney. He was born in South Carolina and was educated at Rollins College in Florida, where he studied to be a teacher.

He later got a doctorate in political science from Emory University in Atlanta and a law degree from Catholic University in Washington.

He started his law career as a civil-rights attorney with the U.S. Department of Education in Washington.

That's where he met his wife and law partner, Patricia Healy.

"When [President Ronald] Reagan came in, I knew for certain I didn't want to work for the government," Leming said. He decided to become a country lawyer.

Date published: 2/20/2005