Biography
For more than two decades, Jo Anne Bitner has helped commercial and residential real estate developers to navigate the array of legal and business challenges inherent in a complex and ever-growing market. Her work with regional and national developers has been an integral key in bringing to life many of the vibrant neighborhoods, commercial centers, sprawling data centers, and public transportation systems that define the growing western suburbs of Washington, D.C.
Jo Anne regularly coordinates with state and local governmental and operational oversight agencies such as the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, to obtain building approvals, negotiate proffers, acquire rights of way, and secure bond releases. She then partners with clients to ensure their understanding of the development process and to craft creative solutions that guide her projects to completion.
A leader in her field, Jo Anne served on the Board of Zoning Appeals for the Town of Vienna, Virginia and was a founding board member of HomeAid Northern Virginia-a charitable arm of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association that partners with builders and developers to provide for the construction and renovation of shelters for the transitionally homeless. Jo Anne is actively involved with Women Giving Back, a charitable task force of HomeAid that provides clothing and accessories for transitionally homeless women re-entering the work force.
Professional Associations
- Northern Virginia Building Industry Association, Member
- HomeAid Northern Virginia, Member
- Women Giving Back, Member
- Virginia State Bar Association – Real Property Section, Member
- Fairfax Bar Association, Member
Honors And Awards
- 2015-2025, The Best Lawyers in America® — Real Estate Law
- 2022, Arlington magazine's Top Attorneys — Real Estate Law
- 2019, Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” — Business Law
- 2011, 2014, 2023, Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” — Real Estate Law
- 2017, Northern Virginia Magazine , Best of NoVA, top lawyers in Real Estate
Practice Areas
- Real Estate Development
- Real Estate Transactions
- Land Use
Education
- University of Richmond, School of Law, Richmond, Virginia
- J.D. - 1992
- James Madison University
- B.S. - 1987
- Honors: magna cum laude
Bar Admissions
- Virginia
- West Virginia