John C. Selbach

Partner, Co-Chair of Business and Corporate Law Section
blank image John C. Selbach
John C. Selbach

John C. Selbach

PARTNER, CO-CHAIR OF BUSINESS AND CORPORATE LAW SECTION
RICHMOND
T: 804.343.4388
F: 804.799.7861

Mr. Selbach is an experienced advisor on business and corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, commercial real estate and public finance.  He regularly serves as outside general counsel to privately held companies, overseeing legal strategy and advising owners and senior management on all aspects of their legal needs.

With extensive experience leading M&A transactions, Mr. Selbach counsels clients on a wide range of business and corporate matters, including entity formation, capital structuring, acquisitions and divestitures, financings, shareholder and management issues and general business counseling.  He is experienced representing investors, developers and companies in buying, developing, leasing, financing and selling improved and unimproved real property, as well as advising borrowers and issuers in tax-exempt and taxable bond transactions.  He represents government contractors in M&A transactions and various corporate matters. He represents local government bodies on a range of matters, including economic development projects.

Mr. Selbach’s industry experience extends to manufacturing, distribution, retail, waste services, government contracting, IT, staffing, financial services and medical practices.  He has particular experience representing public, semi-private and private golf courses and country clubs, as well as golf industry associations, in all aspects of their businesses and operations, including acquisitions, divestitures, financings, restructuring, governance, membership plan structuring, employment matters and litigation strategy.


Recognitions

  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Corporate Law (2018–Present), Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2024), Real Estate Law (2024)
  • Virginia Business magazine, Richmond Business Law "Legal Elite" (2019-2023)
  • CALI Excellence for the Future Awards: Sale and Lease of Goods; Estate Planning


Memberships and Activities

  • Virginia State Golf Association: General Counsel
  • Hermitage Country Club: Former Vice President and Director
  • Richmond Bar Association: Business Law Section, Former Executive Committee Member
  • Virginia State Bar Association: Business Law Section; Corporate Counsel Section; Real Property Section
  • American Bar Association
  • Best Lawyers Designation
PRESENTATIONS & PUBLICATIONS

Panelist: The Business Clock: Have you optimized the most important value-drivers for your business?, Webinar, The Colony Group, The Right Time to Sell Your Business Three-Part Series, June 22, 2021

Co-Host: Prepare Well to Exit Well: A Primer for Business Owners, Webinar, December 3, 2020

Co-Presenter: Impact on Employers as Virginia Returns to Work, Webinar, SIMA Client Meeting, May 15, 2020

Co-Presenter: Playing Through: COVID-Related Challenges for the Golf Industry, Webinar, Virginia State Golf Association, May 4, 2020

Co-Presenter: Limited Liability Companies and Operating Agreements (A Webinar), January 10, 2020

ARTICLES

Client Alert: Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Found Unconstitutional by Federal District Court

On March 1, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama in National Small Business United et al.  v. Janet Yellen et. al., Case No. 5:22-cv-1448-LCB,  held the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) to be unconstitutional. In this surprising decision, U.S. District Court Judge Liles C. Burke ruled “The CTA is unconstitutional because it cannot be justified as exercise of Congress’ enumerated powers.”

Client Alert: Corporate Transparency Act Update: FinCEN Reporting and Compliance Begins in 2024

The Corporate Transparency Act’s (the “CTA”) reporting requirements are effective as of January 1, 2024. As a result, many companies in the United States will have to report information about their beneficial owners, i.e., the individuals who ultimately own or control the company. They will have to report the information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Client Advisory: Coronavirus and Contract Enforcement in Virginia

While governments throughout the world, including the federal government and state governments in the United States, are implementing strategies for controlling the spread and impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the economic fallout from the pandemic is being felt on a global scale as well as locally in Virginia.  Forced closings of businesses and schools, employees working remotely and general concerns and uncertainty about the pandemic combine to create novel challenges for businesses.
 

PRESENTATIONS

Webinar: Playing Through: COVID-Related Challenges for the Golf Industry

A panel presentation by the Virginia State Golf Association (“VSGA”) and Whiteford, Taylor & Preston on the leading operational, business and legal challenges facing the golf industry during the COVID pandemic.  Insights and strategies from VSGA leadership and Whiteford lawyers experienced in advising on key employment, financial and management issues.

NEWS

A Record 87 Whiteford Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2024, Ten Selected as “Ones to Watch”

87 lawyers from Whiteford, Taylor & Preston have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 (copyright 2023 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken S.C.). New practice areas of recognition include CleanTech Law and Entertainment and Sports Law. The lawyers selected are based in the firm’s Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington offices. Client comments are posted on the Best Lawyers website, at bestlawfirms.com.

73 Whiteford Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2023, Six Selected as “Lawyer of the Year”

73 lawyers from Whiteford, Taylor & Preston have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 (copyright 2022 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken S.C.). The lawyers selected are based in the firm’s Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. offices. Client comments are posted on the U.S. News & Best Lawyers web site, at bestlawfirms.com.

75 Whiteford Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2022, Eight Named “Ones to Watch”

A record 75 lawyers from Whiteford, Taylor & Preston have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2022 (copyright 2021 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken S.C.). The lawyers selected are based in the firm’s Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington offices. Client comments are posted on the U.S. News & Best Lawyers web site, at bestlawfirms.com.

71 Whiteford Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2021, Six Named “Lawyer of the Year”

A record 71 lawyers from Whiteford, Taylor & Preston have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2021 (copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken S.C.). The lawyers selected are based in the firm’s Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington offices. Client comments are posted on the U.S. News & Best Lawyers web site, at bestlawfirms.com.

Whiteford Adds Eminent Corporate and Real Estate Practices in Richmond

Whiteford Taylor & Preston today announced continued expansion in Richmond with the addition of a highly regarded group of corporate and real estate attorneys, including partners Katja H. Hill and John C. Selbach, and associates Jonathan Jones and Nicole K. Scott.