Biography

Wil Washington is a shareholder in the firm’s Fairfax office and co-founded the firm in 1990. His practice is devoted to community association and real estate law. Wil provides counsel and advice to the firm’s clients regarding general community association issues, warranty, contract, fair housing and litigation matters. He recently taught courses on drafting and amending community association documents and on fair housing laws as they apply to community associations. He has been involved in projects concerning warranty negotiations, litigation of contracts, fair housing, mold, corporate disputes and conversion of apartments to condominium associations.

Wil has served on the Board of Trustees of the Community Associations Institute. He also served as the President of the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Associations Institute in 1998.  He is also the firm’s representative to CAI’s President’s Club.

Wil was also recognized for his “exemplary service and commitment to CAI” with the CAI’s prestigious 2014 President’s Award. Wil received the Award at CAI’s 2015 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas.  The award is determined at the discretion of CAI’s immediate past president and was presented to Wil for his “being instrumental in helping achieve the organization’s goals, a service Wil has rendered to CAI for years in a variety of capacities.”

Focus areas in community association law

• General counseling and representation
• Fair housing counseling and litigation
• Drafting and interpreting covenants
• Litigation of association disputes
• Contract review, negotiation and enforcement
• Covenant enforcement
• Developer transition
• Drafting rules/regulations and amendments to governing documents
• Structural warranty negotiation and litigation

Education

• Vanderbilt University School of Law, J.D., 1983
• Duke University, B.A., History, 1980

Admitted

• 1983, District of Columbia
  1987, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  1992, Virginia
  1994, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
  1995, Maryland State Bar
  1995, Maryland

Professional associations

• Community Associations Institute, Washington Metropolitan Chapter
  • Board of Trustees, 2001 – 2006
  • President, 1998
  • Board of Directors, 1995 – 1998
  • College of Community Association Lawyers
• American College of Real Estate Lawyers
• American Bar Association

Articles

• Community Associations Institute, May, 2008 — “Covenant Enforcement: Implementing the Rules With Minimal Battle Scars”
• Community Associations Institute, April, 2007 — “Why it’s Not a Good Idea to Substitute for Your Association’s Lawyer”
• ALI-ABA, April, 2005 — “Neighbor-to-Neighbor Disputes Under Fair Housing Laws”
• Community Associations Institute, April, 2001 — “Legal Issues Regarding Renovation & Repair of Your Association”
• Community Associations Institute, July, 2000 — “The Politics of Inclusion” (creating a community association post development)
• Community Associations Institute, October, 1999 — “To Cap or Not to Cap – Why Would an Association Want to Cap Rentals?”
• ALI-ABA, The Practical Real Estate Lawyer, March, 1999 — “Preventing Fair Housing Act Parking Complaints”
• ALI-ABA, September, 1998 — “Handling the Fair Housing/Parking Issue in Your Community Association Documents”
• Reston Association, May, 1997 — “Board of Directors’ Fiduciary Duties and Collections”
• ALI-ABA, March, 1997 — “Dealing with the FCC’s Satellite and Antenna Regulations in Your Community Association Documents”
• Community Associations Institute, January, 1997 —“Lien Enforcement and Collections”
• Community Associations Institute, July, 1995 — “Protecting Your Association’s Reserve Funds”
• Community Associations Institute , January, 1994 — “Who Pays the Deductible in Your Community Association”
• Community Associations Institute, January, 1993 — “The District of Columbia’s New Underground Storage Tank Disclosure Requirements”
• Community Associations Institute, November, 1992 — “D.C. Condominium Association Reaps Benefits From Super Lien”

Seminars

• Community Associations Institute National Conference, 2021: Overcoming Racism in Community Associations: How to be an Agent of Change”
• Community Association Law Seminar, 2021 – “Agents of Change: Overcoming Racism in Community Associations”
• Community Associations Institute Law Seminar, 2002 – 2015— Annually presented national caselaw update on recent cases affecting community associations.
• Property Management Coalition Conference, October 27, 2011 — “Fair Housing,” Continuing Legal Education course
• Community Associations Institute , April 30, 2011 — “Community Association Essentials,” full-day primer on legal structure and operation of common interest properties including fiduciary duty of board members
• Property Management Coalition Conference, November 18, 2010 — “Fair Housing,” CLE course
• Community Associations Institute Law Seminar, January 22-23, 2010 — CLE course on recent cases affecting community associations, including trends in Fair Housing cases
• American Law Institute-American Bar Association (ALI-ABA), November 18, 2009 and May 20, 2009 — CLE course on homeowner association governance in troubled times, including trends in Fair Housing cases
• ALI-ABA, February 26-28, 2009 — “Drafting Documents for Condominiums, PUDs, and Golf Course Communities,” CLE course
• Community Associations Institute Law Seminar, January 30-31, 2009 — CLE course on recent cases affecting community associations, including trends in Fair Housing cases
• ALI-ABA,  February 7-9, 2008 — “Drafting Documents for Condominiums, PUDs, and Golf Course Communities,” CLE course
• “Legal Aspects of Condominiums and Homeowners’ Associations in Virginia,” March 27, 2007 — CLE course through Lorman Education Services on a wide range of legal issues affecting condominiums and homeowners’ associations including establishment, organization and operations
• “Documentation Issues For Condominiums, Planned Communities And Urban Development in Virginia,” February 28, 2006 — CLE course through Lorman Education Services on issues related to drafting documents governing community associations in Virginia
• The Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers, November, 2005 — “Representing Common Ownership Associations in Maryland, ” CLE course
• Commonwealth of Virginia Common Interest Community Management Information Fund, September – November, 1995 — “Dispute Resolution Training for Common Interest Communities”