Attorneys, Businesses Weigh In On Court Square Economics - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

Charlottesville’s Court Square is home to 500 professionals. According to the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce, those professionals are spending between $2 million and $3 million in and around the downtown area.

Albemarle County’s court system is currently located in Court Square, but county supervisors have been considering whether or not to move the courts for logistical reasons.

The report shows that legal professionals collectively spend their money on food, parking, and shopping downtown.

“Typically if you're going to be here for a day, you'll go downtown to eat lunch and then do other things that people do in a metropolitan area,” said Lewis Martin III, attorney.

Downtown business owners say they rely on the courts as an anchor for regular afternoon clientele.

“I mean, you come in one day, you ask the question, ‘is there a lawyer here?’ Trust me, many hands would raise,” said Bashir Khelafa, owner of Bashir’s Taverna.

Khelafa says moving the Albemarle County courts would be a big loss.

“And then you put them in another place - court system, the same pressure, time constraint, an hour for lunch - I don't think they're going to come down to the mall and then go back up there,” Khelafa said.

Charlottesville attorney Steven Rosenfield says prosecutors and defense attorneys often have to be in both Charlottesville and Albemarle courts within a very short period of time.

“There may be lawyers that move out from the downtown area, move close to the courthouse if the dominant part of their practice is in the Albemarle Circuit Courts," Rosenfield says.

“It requires the attorney to go to his car, go back to his office, then go back to his car, and then drive that distance and then find a parking place,” Martin III said.

According to Martin III, clients would be responsible for the travel costs.

“It's going to be particularly hard on lower income clients who are served by legal aid because the legal aid attorneys will have to travel some distance to get to the two general district courts,” he said.

Many of the attorneys based in downtown Charlottesville are hopeful that the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will either keep things the same around or even consider co-locating the courts in one main building.