J. Patrick Connell

J. Patrick Connell, founder of Connell Law, LLC, in Savannah, Georgia, focuses on complex matters at the intersection of real estate development, land use regulation, and governmental authority. He represents developers, property owners, businesses, and trade organizations in high-stakes transactional, regulatory, and civil litigation matters, including contested zoning, permitting, and private property rights disputes.

Practicing since 2006, Mr. Connell advises clients where development and public process converge. With a background in landscape architecture and prior experience as a city planner, he understands how land use decisions are structured, negotiated, and challenged. Clients rely on him for disciplined advocacy, strategic regulatory navigation, and steady judgment in politically sensitive environments. His substantial litigation and trial experience in state and federal courts allows him to structure projects proactively and defend them effectively when disputes arise.

Through Savannah VIP Closings, the real estate closing division of Connell Law, Mr. Connell oversees significant residential and commercial transactions and regularly leads complex title curative and defect resolution matters. His experience clearing title impediments, resolving risk allocation issues, and removing obstacles to closing provides clients with execution-level insight that strengthens both transactional strategy and dispute preparedness.

He serves as General Counsel to the Tourism Leadership Council, Georgia’s leading hospitality trade association, advising on legislative and regulatory matters with statewide impact. Mr. Connell has held leadership roles within the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyers Division and served as President of the Savannah Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. Beyond his practice, Mr. Connell serves as Board Chair of REACH Public Schools, a locally authorized public charter high school opening in 2026, and as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University of Georgia’s College of Environment + Design. He previously co-chaired the Savannah Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year Campaign, helping raise more than $1.5 million for research and patient assistance initiatives. He is a graduate of Leadership Savannah and Leadership Southeast Georgia, a Generation NEXT award recipient, and a former Super Lawyers Rising Star.