As the senior member and founder of the Firm's P3 and Infrastructure practice, John’s practice focuses on public-private infrastructure development, public finance, capital finance and complex commercial lending. John is among the few lawyers nationally with substantial experience on both the project development and the public finance sides of structuring transactions for a broad range of public and private infrastructure projects, including airports, roads and highways, convention and conference centers, educational facilities, government administrative facilities and water and wastewater facilities. Clients describe John as “a very intuitive and excellent negotiator [who] is able to discuss and explain issues to non-lawyers in a very effective manner” (Chambers USA, 2020).

John also serves as co-head of the firm’s Business Practice Group that includes its corporate, energy and infrastructure, capital finance and real estate and tax and ERISA teams. He previously served as the first Managing Partner of the firm’s Richmond office and as head of the firm’s Public Finance practice group.

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, Pepperdine University School of Law, 1983

BA, University of Richmond, 1977

• Serves as counsel to a 63-20 corporation that is the concessionaire in connection with the development, construction, operation, tolling and maintenance of the Route 460 Corridor Improvements project, a 55-mile limited access highway in Southeastern Virginia 
• Served as project counsel to sponsors bidding to develop, construct, finance and maintain a $1.5 billion replacement of the Goethals Bridge, a key transportation artery in the New York – New Jersey metropolitan area, under a long-term “availability payments” arrangement
• Served as finance counsel and Virginia counsel to the concessionaire in connection with the development, construction, operation and maintenance of the I-95 HOT Lanes project, an approximately $1 billion project consisting of managed toll lanes in Northern Virginia pursuant to a long-term P3 concession arrangement
• Served as finance counsel and Virginia concessionaire counsel in connection with the development, construction, operation and maintenance of an approximately $2.1 billion underwater tunnel project in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia pursuant to a long-term P3 concession arrangement
• Represented concessionaire in a long-term P3 concession arrangement for the development, construction and maintenance of an approximately $1.8 billion major roadway project in South Florida, that will contain both managed toll and general purpose lanes. 
• Represented 63-20 corporation as finance and special project counsel in connection with the development, construction, operation and maintenance of the I-495 Capital Beltway HOT Lanes project, an approximately $1.5 billion roadway project consisting of both managed toll and general purpose lanes in Northern Virginia pursuant to a long-term P3 concession arrangement. 
• Represented national real estate investment trust as project counsel in the development and financing of nearly $150 million in infrastructure improvements to support a nearly $500 million mixed-use project that will serve as the catalyst for redevelopment of an old suburban area in Northern Virginia. 
• Representing issuers as project counsel in connection with creation and use of special tax districts, community development authorities and tax increment and tax allocation districts to fund and finance project infrastructure. 
• Represented large Georgia city as bond counsel in multi-series issuance of bonds in excess of $300 million supported by tax increment financing to finance infrastructure for multi-billion mixed-used project on former brownfield site.
• Represented large Virginia city as project and finance counsel in unique public-private partnership to develop long-planned central business district, supported by tax increment financing to finance key infrastructure and other public facilities such as a theater and parks. 
• Represented issuer in nearly $160,000,000 financing backed by hotel occupancy taxes to finance largest convention facility in Virginia. 
• Represented issuer in public-private joint venture to construct and operate outdoor performing arts concert facility. 
• Handled the structuring and issuance of the first storm water facilities revenue bonds issued by a Virginia locality. 
• Significant experience representing airports in issuance of debt and in negotiations of airport use agreements.

• Chair (2016-2018), Transportation Infrastructure and PPP Committee, Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section, American Bar Association
• Member, Virginia Bar Association
• Member, Richmond Bar Association
• Member, National Association of Bond Lawyers
• Member, Past President, The Bond Club of Virginia
• Fellow, Virginia Law Foundation
• Leadership Metro Richmond, Class of 2006

• Fellow, American College of Bond Counsel
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Public Finance Law, 2005-present.  A description of the selection methodology can be found on Best Lawyers’ webpage.
• Listed in Virginia Super Lawyers, published by Richmond Magazine, 2006-present. A description of the selection methodology can be found on Super Lawyers’ webpage.

• Annual Review: Infrastructure & Project Finance: United States (John O'Neill Q&A), Financier Worldwide
• Economic Development Incentives in Virginia, A Local Practitioner's Handbook; published by the Local Government Attorneys Association of Virginia
• Talking Point: Public-private Partnerships In The US - Outlook For 2012 (John O'Neill interview), Financier Worldwide
• Getting to There from Here: What the Trump Administration’s Infrastructure Program Might Look Like, Infrastructure
• Rebuilding the Ivory Towers, Project Finance International: International Financing Review
• Public Private Partnership Legislation: North Carolina, Practical Law Thomson Reuters