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Biography

Justin T. Banford is a Partner in both Corporate and Business (80%) and the Trust and Estate (20%) section at Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig. His clients reflect a cross-section of the DC economy, with many clients in technology, government contracting, and professional services. Justin has helped entrepreneurs form over 100 companies and works with executives to scale operations before they exit. Serving as outsourced general counsel, Justin is the first legal call his clients make. He believes in relationship-oriented representation and has taken many founders through multiple ventures. In addition to his core corporate practice..., he assists business owners with estate, asset- protection, and succession planning.

Corporate and Business: Justin helps entrepreneurs and executives effectively grow their companies through all stages of the business lifecycle:
Formation: On formation, Justin provides seasoned guidance on proper corporate, tax, and management/governance structures, often working with clients’ tax professionals, angel capital, institutional lending, and other capital sources.
Growth: For growing companies, Justin works closely with executives and governance boards to put in place scalable service agreements; employee incentive programs, including restricted stock, options and phantom stock; manage investor and management relations; and foster continued growth, including through mergers and acquisitions.
Exit: Finally, Justin advises on succession planning and preparing company operations in advance of a sale and performs all attendant transactional work.

Estate Planning: Justin developed his estate planning practice as an offshoot of his corporate work, initially helping entrepreneurs, executives, and high net worth families with concerns regarding estate taxes, legacy planning, asset protection, and charitable giving. However, his estate planning work addresses the universal concerns of protecting one’s family, probate avoidance, and incapacity planning.

Justin and his wife are blessed with three children and live in Fairfax Station, where they are active in their children’s schools and athletic teams.

Experience

  • Formation of fintech startup and Accelerator placement (2020)
  • SuperLawyers Rising Star Selection in Corporate/Business Law (2020)
  • Presented at NBI CLE Event, Business Entity Selection and Formation (2019)
  • Led formation of a Public-Private Partnership to assist local businesses in Puerto Rico as part of Hurricane
    Maria recovery (2019)
  • Successfully defended STEM education charity in dispute over grant agreement restrictions (2019)
  • SuperLawyers Rising Star Selection in Corporate/Business Law (2019)
  • Rollup Acquisitions of Manufacturing Companies by International Conglomerate (2018)
  • Sale of Medical Cannabis Company for $30M (2018)
  • Series B Round for Agricultural Tech Company raising $10M (2018)
  • Sale of SEO Company to Private Equity firm for $40M (2018)
  • Formation and Financing of Sports/Entertainment Venue for $24M (2017-18)
  • Sale of Product Design Company for $35M (2017)
  • Series A Round for Bio-Tech Company raising $9M (2017)
  • Lectured at NBI CLE event, A Primer on Advising Directors and Officers on Corporate Governance (2017)

Education

  • George Mason University School of Law (J.D.), Corporate and Securities Law Track
  • University of Virginia (B.A.), Economics with Finance Concentration

Admissions

  • Virginia
  • DC
  • Maryland

Memberships &
Associations

  • McLean Estate Planning Council
  • ServiceSource Planned Giving Council
  • Crosspointe Board of Trustees
  • ABA Military Pro Bono Project

Outside of Work

  • Husband and Father of Three
  • Tech Startup Entrepreneur
  • Crypto-holder since 2011
  • Angel Investor
  • BMW E39 Enthusiast
  • Tottenham Hotspur Supporter

Intern Program

As part of our effort to recruit, develop and retail the best and brightest attorneys, Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig offers a summer intern program for promising law school students who are looking to work as part of an innovative and incredibly successful team. With a global team of lawyers, selected candidates are able to work on high level projects in a collaborative space.

Paralegals and Legal Support Staff

At Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, our team of paralegals and staff work together collaboratively along side our attorneys toward a common goal. We have created a positive work environment where our paralegals and legal assistants work to successfully reach firm-wide goals and support each other to combine individual strengths to enhance team performance. They regularly assist our attorneys with organizing and maintaining files, conducting legal research, and preparing documents.