2025 Fall Conference

Registration Is Now Closed

LGA THANKS OUR CONFERENCE SPONSORS:

If your logo isn’t in this list yet, contact christy.jenkins@easterassocates.com to become a conference sponsor today!

Celebrate LGA’s 50th Anniversary at the Fall Conference October 30-November 1, 2025 at the Omni Homestead.

Celebrate 50 Years of LGA in Grand Style!
Join us October 30–November 1, 2025, at the iconic Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, for a milestone event 50 years in the making! While our fall conference will feature the same high-caliber programming you’ve come to expect, this year’s gathering will sparkle with extra celebrations, special touches, and a few surprises.

The Highlights:

  • Thursday Evening Opening Night Party – Kick off our anniversary weekend with a festive outdoor gathering on the lawn (weather permitting). Halloween costumes are optional, but highly encouraged for those ready to add some spooky flair!
  • Thursday Late-Night Movie – Settle in under the stars for a YLGA-hosted movie night (My Cousin Vinny) beginning at 8:30 p.m.
  • Friday Afternoon Free Time – Enjoy the Homestead’s world-class amenities or join one of our planned group activities (Download list). Check out Homestead Halloween-specific activities HERE.
  • Friday Evening Reception & Awards Banquet – Dress to impress (black tie optional) as we honor our award recipients and toast to LGA’s 50 years of service. Keep the celebration going at the After Party, where the music and memories will last well into the night.
  • Family-Friendly Fun – For those bringing loved ones, the Homestead’s Kids Club offers safe and exciting activities for children while parents enjoy conference sessions and events.

Come for the professional development—stay for the once-in-a-lifetime celebration. This is more than just a conference… it’s LGA’s golden anniversary, and you’re part of the story!

Registration: Online registration closed October 23, 2025.

Room Block: LGA room block is now closed. For assistance with lodging, contact christy.jenkins@easterassociates.com.

Friday Afternoon Activities: 
LGA is planning several resort-area activities on Friday afternoon, October 31. View the list HERE. Sign up by emailing christy.jenkins@easterassociates.com.

Important Documents:

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

LGA Service Awards

The LGA Service Awards recognizes those attorneys from the association’s active-member localities (as well as full-time legal staff with the Virginia Municipal League and Virginia Association of Counties) who have served local government in Virginia for 15 years or more.

15 Years
Dan N. Whitten, County Attorney, County of Fluvanna
Burle U. Stromberg, Assistant City Attorney, City of Portsmouth
Darlene P. Bradberry, Chief Deputy City Attorney, City of Newport News

20 Years
Deborah K. Siegel, Senior Deputy County Attorney, County of Prince William

25 Years
Curt G. Spear, Senior Deputy County Attorney, County of Prince William

30 Years
Megan E. Kelly, Senior Deputy County Attorney, County of Prince William

35 Years
J. David Griffin, Town Attorney, Town of Stephen City

40 Years
S. Craig Brown, City Attorney, City of Manassas

PROGRAM

Following program has been approved, which will provide 9 MCLE, including 2.0 Ethics

The following sessions qualify for the Leadership Training for New and Aspiring Virginia Local Government Chief Legal Counsel:

The Ethics of Negotiation and Adversaries’ Mistakes
Beginnings and Endings of Child Dependency Cases
The Crystal Ball of Land Use

Thursday, October 30

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

1 – 1:15 p.m. Welcoming Remarks

1:15 – 3:15 p.m. General Session A (2.0 MCLE)

The Ethics of Negotiation and Adversaries’ Mistakes

Moderator:  
Lola R. Perkins, County Attorney, County of Surry

Speakers:
Thomas E. Spahn, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

This interactive program uses hypotheticals to explore lawyers’ confidentiality and disclosure duties in the context of adversaries’ misunderstanding or mistakes.  Among other things, the program will address: the difference between ethics and professionalism; dealing with unrepresented persons who may misunderstand a lawyer’s role; negotiation ethics (including adversaries’ factual or legal misunderstanding, substantive mistakes or scrivener’s errors); litigators’ duties in the face of litigation adversaries’ or courts’ misunderstanding, mistakes, or scrivener’s errors.

3:15 – 3:45 p.m. Break

3:45 – 4:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions 1 & 2 (1.0 MCLE)

Drones – When (Can You Use?), Where (Can You Fly?) and How (Do You Buy?)

Moderator:
Bonnie N. Brown, City Attorney, City of Alexandria

Speakers: 
Sheree Konstantinou, Assistant County Attorney, County of York
Ryan C. Samuel, Deputy County Attorney, County of Arlington

This session will take a comprehensive look at legislative developments regulating the use of drones and the evolution of laws pertaining to federal, state and local control and a locality’s authority to utilize drones to advance both criminal and civil objectives.  Discussion to include a review of the legal parameters and lessons learned from developing and implementing Arlington County’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program. Discussion will include legal limits on the use of drones for public safety operations, securing FAA approval in a flight restricted zone, training requirements for operators, procurement issues, and potential labor relations issues.  

Issues Raised from the Grave: Unearthing Laws Related to Cemeteries

Moderator:
Maxwell C. Hlavin, Attorney, Sands Anderson PC

Speakers:
Susan l. Hartman, Assistant City Attorney, City of Lynchburg
Tracy A. Gallehr, Town Attorney, Town of Culpeper; Attorney, Sands Anderson PC
Jay White, Executive Director, Old City Cemetery Museums and Arboretum, Lynchburg

The panel will discuss various ways that cemeteries can haunt a local government practitioner, from assisting crypt keepers and undertakers with the operation and regulation of cemeteries, to how the buried can spook a locality’s land use policies and real property interests … and even, perhaps, a tale of resurrection.

6 – 8 p.m. Opening Night Party

8 – 10 p.m. YLGA Movie Night

Friday, October 31

8 – 8:50 am Practice Group Meetings

8:30 – 9 a.m. Breakfast

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

Boo! New Case Law That May Come Back to Haunt You OR Tricks, Treats, and Trends in Virginia Case Law

Moderator:
Tara A. McGee, County Attorney, County of Goochland

Speakers:
Stephen A. Grim, Assistant City Attorney II, City of Chesapeake
Anne C. Lahren, Civil Litigation Attorney, Pender & Coward, P.C.
Monica T. Monday, Managing Partner, Gentry Locke

This session will review recent state judicial opinions on topics affecting local governments such as standing, zoning, and sovereign immunity, as well as hot issues for school divisions. The panelists will also draw from their experience in appellate practice to present trends in Virginia’s appellate courts, procedural avenues, and practice tips.  

10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions 3 & 4 (1.5 MCLE)

The Crystal Ball of Land Use

Moderator:
Leo P. Rogers, County Attorney, County of Loudoun

Speakers:
Grayson Hanes, Counsel, Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, P.C.
John H. Foote, Shareholder, Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh, PC
Gustav G. (Greg) Kamptner, County Attorney (retired), County of Albemarle

This session considers the evolution of land use law in Virginia, beginning with the seminal U. S. Supreme Court case, Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., which addressed the then-bubbling caldron of questions of due process and equal protection in zoning. That was followed by a period of judicial review that initially upheld local government action, to be succeeded by a stirring shift where courts began to restrict local discretion. The next era was marked by a virtual abandonment of land use issues by the Court, requiring an exploration of the modern landscape of Virginia land use, focusing on the increased specificity of comprehensive plans and the evolution and impact of conditional zoning. What then is the future of land use, considering such issues as power infrastructure and availability, the role of the General Assembly, the ongoing application of the “fairly debatable” standard, and changes to the court system?

Beginnings and Endings of Child Dependency Cases

Moderator:
Martin R. Crim, Town Attorney, Towns of Culpeper, Warrenton, Middleburg, Washington, and Occoquan, Sands Anderson PC

Speakers:
Michael SJ Chernau, Senior Deputy County Attorney, County of Chesterfield
Stephanie J. Pough, Assistant City Attorney, City of Suffolk
Lora Hughes, MSW Foster Care Program Manager, Division of Family Services, Virginia Department of Social Services

A discussion concerning prevention and tools to facilitate the termination of parental rights cases.  The discussion will incorporate the following subject matters: entrustment agreements, relief of custody, Voluntary Parental Child Safety Agreements (PCSPA), Kinship Care, and Kinship Guardian Assistance Program (KinGAP).

12:15 – 12:45 p.m. Hearty Snack Break

12:45 — 5:30 p.m. Afternoon Activities/Free Time

5:30 — 6 p.m. Reception

6:00 — 8:00 p.m. Anniversary & Awards Banquet

8:00 — 10:00 p.m. Hospitality Suite

Saturday, November 1

8 – 8:50 am Practice Group Meetings

8:30 – 9 a.m. Breakfast

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

Litigation Wisdom: Insights from Bench and Bar

Moderator:  
Courtney R. Sydnor, City Attorney, City of Hampton

Speakers:         

Jim H. Guynn Jr., County Attorney, Counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Franklin, and Patrick, Town Attorney, Towns of Branchville and Wakefield, Attorney, Guynn, Waddell, P.C.
The Honorable Elizabeth K. Dillon, Chief Judge U.S. District Court, Western District Virginia
The Honorable Steven D. Bond, Hampton General District Court
The Honorable Judge John T. Cook, Campbell County Circuit Court
The Honorable C. Kailani Memmer, Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District Virginia

This program will be litigation tips and strategies from judges who were members of LGA before appointments to the bench and a veteran of 40 years of jury trials.  Jim Guynn will share ideas and strategies developed from his experience in litigation that he didn’t learn in law school.  In a roundtable discussion, our judges will discuss topics that include the hallmarks of effective arguments by attorneys; the qualities they observe that set apart the highly skilled courtroom practitioners from the rest; the view of juries from the bench and how good attorneys persuade juries among other topics.  The forum will allow for questions from the audience. 

10:30 – 11 a.m. Hotel Check-out Break

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions 5 & 6 (1.5 MCLE)

Legal Impacts of Federal Actions for Local Government (Scary Enough Without a Catchy Title)

Moderator:
Mark C. Popovich, County Attorney, County of Amherst, Town Attorney, Towns of Branchville and Wakefield, City Attorney, City of Covington, Attorney, Guynn Waddell P.C.

Speakers:
Amy Markwell, Senior Assistant County Attorney, County of Loudoun
Michelle M. Gowdy, Executive Director, Virginia Municipal League

The new federal administration has taken steps to change how grants and other financial assurances are used to gain cooperation with federal administrative policies and directives from local governments. This session will address some of the litigation by or against the federal administration with a direct impact to local governments, how grant terminations or denials can be addressed, and how to handle local law enforcement and jail cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.  The discussion will also include action or inaction taken at the state level to get local governments to comply with federal administration policy changes.

PFAS, Infrastructure Failures, and Flooding, OH MY! Three Spooky Environmental Topics for Local Government Attorneys

Moderator:
Lisa M. Ochsenhirt, Vice President, AquaLaw PLC

Speakers:
Justin W. Curtis, Vice-president, AquaLaw PLC
Wahaj Memon, Assistant County Attorney, County of Arlington
Matthew C. Freedman, City Attorney, City of Lynchburg

This session will update attendees on three critical, complex, and challenging environmental issues Virginia local government attorneys face. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been used in products for decades because they repel water, oil, and grease but have recently been linked with possible human health impacts. Local governments not only receive these chemicals as passive-receivers at their wastewater treatment plants but may also own facilities with PFAS impacts (for example, landfills). The panel will review the latest on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s and the Commonwealth of Virginia’s approaches to reducing these “forever chemicals,” as well as private and public litigation on the topic. Infrastructure failures occur in public drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems and can quickly monopolize a local government attorney’s workday. The panel will review examples of these failures and recommend how to manage these events while complying with applicable law. Flooding has become more widespread across Virginia, and can have catastrophic impacts on citizens, businesses, and local infrastructure. The panel will review federal, state, and local legal and policy actions and funding opportunities to support local governments as they tackle recurrent sea-level rise and pluvial and fluvial flooding.      

LGA THANKS OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS: