David Lasso concentrates his practice on municipal and state law matters including land use planning and development, procurement matters, state and local regulatory compliance requirements, legislative affairs, civil rights, telecommunications and the general litigation of cases arising from these matters.

Mr. Lasso’s innovative problem solving aids clients with legislation, litigation and municipal and state law. More than two decades of prior government service with the City of Falls Church, VA, and Arlington County, VA, bring unique skills to his practice.

Representative Clients

Government clients include the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and the Northern Virginia Regional Planning Commission. Land use clients include Private Public Alliance (PPA), a Clark subsidiary, Waterford Development, Akridge Companies, JBG Development Company and A.J. Dwoskin and Associates. He also supports Marriott International, WETA Public Television, Archstone/Smith Residential and Vornado/Smith Commercial.

Significant Matters

Mr. Lasso has been actively involved in planning and development of mixed use projects and "transit oriented" projects adjacent to Metro stations, as well as projects whose success depends upon feeder transit to the nearby stations.

He has also been active in affordable housing issues. He and other Venable attorneys represented the Dittmar Company in its successful challenge to Arlington County’s unauthorized zoning practices requiring all developers to make substantial contributions to affordable housing.

Mr. Lasso has litigated significant, complex matters at all levels of state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. Subjects include land use, condemnation, civil rights, employment, state civil conspiracy and discrimination.

Mr. Lasso provided assistance to PPA in its successful effort to design and build a middle school in the City of Falls Church, the first such project in Virginia using the new ‘Public Private Education and Infrastructure Act’ (PPEA). He also helped clients obtain zoning approvals for mixed use, apartment, retail, hotel and telecommunications projects in Falls Church, Arlington and Fairfax Counties.

Under a tight legislative deadline, he helped a large nonprofit corporation obtain the endorsement of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for a personal property exemption. He assisted with the first comprehensive regional approach to challenges facing local governments under parts of the 1996 Telecommunications Act and he provided model local laws relating to the regulation, zoning control and franchising of telecommunications facilities.