2024 LGA Fall Conference

The LGA Board of Directors is excited to host the 2024 Fall Conference in person at Hilton Norfolk The Main, October 3-5, 2024.

Registration:

  • Registration is now OPEN online HERE.
  • Registrations after September 19 incur a $50 late fee. Registration closes September 26. 
  • Members must login to receive the member rate; non-members can register online by following the prompts.
  • All can register by completing the printable registration form and mailing with payment or emailing it to staff.
  • Full-conference registration includes the ONP and Awards Banquet. If you plan to attend, please let us know on the registration form. 

Room Block: 

  • LGA has negotiated a room block with rates starting at $189 per night. One night’s room and tax is required at the time of registration.
  • The room block will close September 9 or once the block is full. 
  • REMEMBER – register then reserve! The room reservation link will be distributed in the registration confirmation email.
  • NOTE: Our program begins Thursday afternoon, October 3 and ends Saturday afternoon, October 5.

Sponsorship Opportunities:

LGA appreciates our conference sponsors for their generous support. For more information on opportunities, check out the available Conference Sponsorships. Consider becoming a dual program sponsor and enjoy more benefits! Contact staff for details. 

Exhibit Opportunities:

There are a limited number of tabletop exhibit spaces available; rates are $550; after September 19, there is an additional late registration fee of $50. To inquire about available exhibit space contact Christy Jenkins at christy.jenkins@easterassociates.com.

Student Scholarships:

Law student and law fellow scholarship applications are now available online for the 2024 LGA Fall Conference on October 3-5 at the Hilton Norfolk The Main. Please encourage your office’s law student interns, externs, and post-graduate law fellows to apply. The application deadline is September 18. Application forms are are posted under the Conference menu tab at: Conference Scholarships. Please contact Brian Lubkeman, Law School Liaison and Scholarship Committee chair (blubkeman@brigliahundley.com) or (703.883.0206), with any questions. 

Friday Afternoon Activities: 
LGA is planning several area activities on Friday afternoon, October 4. Stay tuned for more information.

Important Documents: 

  • Printable Registration Form Registration
  • Hotel Room Reservation Link will be distributed in registration confirmation email.
  • Cancellation Policy (Registration and Hotel Reservation Cancellation Information will be provided in your confirmation email.)
  • Printable Agenda at a Glance (MCLE pending approval)
  • Registrant List: A registrant list will be made available at the start of the conference.
  • Presentation Download: Presentations will be made available the week of the conference.

Help LGA Save Thousands of Dollars Per Year! REMEMBER – register then reserve! MORE INFO HERE


PROGRAM

(MCLE APPROVED)

Thursday, October 3

9 a.m. – 1 p.m.                LGA Fall Board Breakfast, Meeting, & Lunch with Committee Chairs

1 – 1:15 p.m.                   Welcoming Remarks

1:15 – 2:45 p.m.             Concurrent Sessions 1 & 2 (1.5 MCLE)

Elements of an Eminent Domain Trial
Moderator: 
Elizabeth S. Chupik, Associate City Attorney, City of Virginia Beach

Speakers: 
Elizabeth S. Chupik, Associate City Attorney, City of Virginia Beach
D. Rossen Greene, Shareholder, Pender & Coward, P.C.

An eminent domain trial has numerous different parts, some of which are unique to this practice area. These cases go to trial rarely enough that many practitioners may never have seen one. In this session experienced eminent domain attorneys Elizabeth Chupik with the City of Virginia Beach, and Ross Greene, chair of Pender & Coward’s Eminent Domain / Right of Way Practice Group, review the how you get to an eminent domain trial, the acquisition process and jurisdictional objections, and various elements of an eminent domain trial and some best practices for each part, including but not limited to voir dire, jury selection, commissioner’s panels and who can serve as a commissioner, jury instructions, arrangements for the jury/commissioners’ view of the property, and differences between condemnation and inverse condemnation trials. 

Unpacking a Compact: An Examination of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)

Moderator:
Patrick C. Murphrey, Senior Assistant City Attorney, City of Newport News

Speakers:
Martin R. Crim, DSS Counsel, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park, Sands Anderson PC
Tameka Kelley, ICPC/ICAMA Program Manager Family Services, Virginia Department of Social Services
Stephen A. Grim, Assistant City Attorney, City of Chesapeake 

This Session will introduce or re-introduce attendees to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) and focus on the implications that the ICPC has or may have in certain child dependency cases. Topics will include (1) ICPC case law and regulations, (2) whether a non-offending parent is required to get ICPC approval, and (3) what to do when the judge refuses to follow the law. 

2:45 – 3:15 p.m.                               Break 

3:15 – 4:45 p.m.                               General Session A (1.5 MCLE) 

Legislative Mixology: Crafting a Code Cocktail Fit to be Served at the Bar

Moderator:
Karla J. Soloria, Assistant City Attorney, City of Norfolk

Speakers:
Adam D. Melita, Chief Deputy City Attorney, City of Norfolk
Jessica E. Kraus, Assistant City Attorney, City of Hampton 

This session will address issues that commonly arise when the local government attorney is tasked with drafting a legislative act for codification into a published law.  From the organization of the law-including introductory matters, substantive provisions, and procedural details-to the formalities of proper formatting, usage conventions, style, and syntax, we’ll review best practices as well as common mistakes to be avoided. 

6 – 7 p.m.                             YLGA Program 

7 – 9 p.m.                             Opening Night Party: Nauticus Elizabeth River Landing catered by Yummy Goodness

Friday, October 4 

8 – 8:50 am                         Practice Group Meetings

8:30 – 9 a.m.                     Breakfast 

9 – 10:30 a.m.                  General Session B (1.5 MCLE) 

Period-Costumed Silent Disco (Not Really— It’s Just the Case Law Update)

Moderator:
Meredith C. Harlow, Deputy City Attorney, City of Hampton

Speakers:
Jan L. Proctor, County Attorney, County of Accomack
Catherine H.  Lindley, City Attorney, City of Chesapeake
John C. Blair, II, City Attorney, City of Staunton 

Case law and important Attorney General Opinions from the past year-to-date will be discussed. The discussion will focus on binding precedent of interest to local government practitioners that was issued within the past year. Useful circuit court letter opinions and other persuasive precedent will also be presented. 

10:30 – 11 a.m.               Break 

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  General Session C (1.5 MCLE) 

Going Fishing for the Right Contract:  Which Hook to Use

Moderator:
Catherine B. Lea, Town Attorney, Town of Orange

Speakers:
Tyler C. Southall, County Attorney, County of Dinwiddie
Brendan S. Hefty, Attorney, Hefty Wiley & Gore, P.C.
Kelly J. Lackey, City Attorney, City of Fredericksburg

This session will focus on the different “procurement hooks” that can be used to procure a contract under the Virginia Public Procurement Act.  Although the traditional IFBs and RFPs do just fine charting a course for the Vineyard, what happens when a client wants to head for Nantucket and use cooperative procurement, sole source, or emergency procurement? And what about small purchase procurement polices? Are there any other options out there while you are trolling the Atlantis of public procurement? 

12:30 — 1 p.m.               Awards Reception 

1 — 2:30 p.m.                  Awards Banquet 

(Offsite for afternoon activities)

8 — 10 p.m.                       Hospitality Suite 

Saturday, October 5 

8 – 8:50 am                         Practice Group Meetings 

8:30 – 9 a.m.                     Breakfast 

9 – 10:00 a.m.                  Concurrent Sessions 3 & 4 (1.0 MCLE) 

Hot Topics in School Law

Moderator:
Anne C. Lahren, Civil Litigation Attorney, Pender & Coward, P.C.

Speakers:
Wade T. Anderson, Division Counsel, Prince William County Public Schools
Stacy L. Haney, Founding Member, Haney Phinyowattanachip PLLC

This session will update attendees regarding current hot-button legal issues confronting school boards such as limitations on student cell phone usage, accessing sexually explicit materials, school-specific FOIA concerns, and a brief overview of school-specific bills expected in the upcoming legislative session. 

Land Development and the Endangered Species Act: Don’t Be “Blind as a Bat” or a “Fish Out of Water”

Moderator:
Matthew C. Freedman, City Attorney, City of Lynchburg

Speakers: 
Amy Martin, Manager, Nongame and Endangered Species Program, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Justin W. Curtis, Attorney, AquaLaw PLC

Panelists will discuss the Federal and Virginia laws and best practices that local government attorneys are most likely to navigate in their land development practice, including regulations surrounding endangered or threatened animal species. The presentation will emphasize animal species commonly affected by land development in Virginia, their importance to ecosystems, and the public policy behind the regulatory scheme.   

10:00 – 10:30 a.m.       Hotel Check-out Break

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.            General Session D (2.0 Ethics MCLE)

Ethical Considerations in the Age of Generative AI

Moderator:
Stephen C. Piepgrass, Partner and Practice Group Leader, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP

Speakers:
Samuel E. “Gene” Fishel, Counsel, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP
Reeve T. Bull, Director, Virginia Office of Regulatory Management
Joshua M. Johnson

The panelists will discuss ethical considerations that may arise as local government attorneys use generative AI in the practice of law, and which may impact local governments.  Topics will include (1) an introduction to generative AI including associated risks such as fraud, bias, privacy concerns, and plagiarism; (2) relevant AI-related ethics rules, regulations, and opinions, with a focus on Virginia government standards and guidelines; (3) key ethical risks, including confidentiality, competence, bias, transparency, accountability, informed consent, security, and the unauthorized practice of law; (4) secondary sources that discuss the interplay of AI and legal ethics, and (5) strategies to combat these issues in the practice of law. The presentation will also feature a live demonstration that applies AI in creating legal content, highlighting both advantages and pitfalls.


LGA THANKS OUR SPONSORS

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of LGA education.

LGA thanks our early conference supporters!

         

If you are interested in sponsoring the 2024 LGA Fall Conference, please contact staff.


LGA THANKS OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS