Spera, town attorney since August 2020, will stay through early 2027 while Leesburg recruits a successor. He counts the Compass Creek annexation among his proudest results.
Chris Spera, Leesburg’s town attorney since August 2020, has announced his retirement. He will stay in the job through early 2027, and the town has started recruiting his successor.
The Town of Leesburg announced the news in a release Thursday, Oct. 29.
Six years as the town’s lawyer
The town attorney is the Town Council’s and the town government’s lawyer. Spera has practiced law for almost 40 years, in both the public and private sectors, the town said.
His career before Leesburg included:
- 12 years in total with the city of Alexandria, starting as assistant city attorney in 2005
- promotion to deputy city attorney in Alexandria in 2011
- four years as general counsel for the Old Dominion Transportation Group, before he came to Leesburg in 2020
What he lists as his proudest work
Spera named three achievements in the release:
- the result of the annexation case with Loudoun County, which brought the Compass Creek development inside town limits as of 2025
- keeping air traffic control services at Leesburg Executive Airport after the Federal Aviation Administration abruptly ended its remote tower program in 2023
- building a team of well-qualified lawyers in the Town Attorney’s Office, with the Town Council’s backing
“I was impressed when I got here and I remain impressed to this day on how much Town staff gets done at its staffing level,” Spera said. “It’s a lean, hard-working organization that provides a high level of service.”
He credited former Town Manager Kaj Dentler with assembling the town’s staff.
Mayor Kelly Burk pointed to two pieces of his work.
“The voluntary settlement agreement that brought Compass Creek into Town, and the approval of the collective bargaining agreement with the Leesburg Police Department, are part of Chris’ legacy which will have lasting positive benefits for Leesburg,” Burk said.
After the town
Spera said he is retiring from full-time law, not from public life.
“Forty years of doing this full time is enough,” he said. “While I expect I will look for opportunities to volunteer and add value to the community, the only thing I will be doing full-time is being a husband, father, and grandfather.”
He holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia, where he walked on to the men’s basketball team. He has coached and led youth sports for more than 30 years, the town said. That work includes the Springfield/South County Youth Club, the DC Grays of the Cal Ripken Summer Collegiate Baseball League and Hayfield Secondary School.
What it means for you
Nothing changes for residents yet. Spera stays in the post into 2027, and the town has not said who will replace him or when.
The post has shaped some of the town’s biggest recent decisions, from the Compass Creek annexation to the police labor agreement. Whoever is hired will advise the council as that growth continues. The town posts its openings on its job opportunities page.
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