2026 LGA Regional Seminar

The LGA Board of Directors is excited to host the 2026 LGA Regional Seminar at The Virginian in Lynchburg, Virginia June 26, 2026.

Registration Closed

Registration:
Online registration for in person attendance closes June 18; registration for online closed June 23.

Room Block:
LGA has negotiated a small room block for Thursday, June 25 at The Virginian with rates starting at $110 per night, plus tax. The room block is closed.  The room reservation link will be distributed in the registration confirmation email. NOTE: Our program begins Friday morning, June 26.

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PROGRAM

Following program has been approved, which will provide 6 MCLE (including 2.0 Ethics MCLE):

8:30 a.m. | Check In & Continental Breakfast

9 to 10:30 a.m. | The Data Center Playbook: Planning, Policy, and Public Expectations (1.5 MCLE)

Moderator: Wendy L. Meyer, Assistant County Attorney, County of Stafford


Speaker(s):
David L. Honadle, Deputy County Attorney, County of Stafford
Karl R. Holsten, County Attorney, County of Spotsylvania

As data center development accelerates across Virginia, local governments are increasingly tasked with evaluating complex proposals that carry significant economic promise—and equally significant community considerations. This session provides a high-level overview of the data center development process, equipping attorneys with a practical framework to guide decision-making and advise their governing bodies.

Presented as a strategic “checklist,” the session explores key areas of focus regardless of a locality’s stance on data center growth, including public communications (with particular attention to power and water usage concerns), negotiation considerations such as incentives, proffers, and water service agreements, and potential zoning and utility ordinance implications. Attendees will gain insight into how to anticipate challenges, manage expectations, and proactively educate stakeholders to support informed, transparent, and effective local decision-making.

10:30 to 10:45 a.m. | Break

10:45 to 11:45 a.m. | Virginia Zoning and Subdivision Law 101 (1 MCLE)

Moderator: Lawrence S. Spencer, Jr., Town Attorney, Town of Blacksburg

Speakers:
Jan E. Gustafson, Attorney, County of Loudoun
Adam Hamby, Assistant County Attorney, County of Loudoun

This session is a primer for new local government attorneys, as well as a refresher for more experienced practitioners, starting with Euclid v. Ambler and continuing up to the most recent Virginia land use cases.  

11:45 am to 12:45 p.m. | Lunch

12:45 to 2:15 p.m. | What the Flock? Privacy, Policing, and Public Trust (1.5 MCLE)

Moderator: George Lyle, County Attorney, County of Henry

Speaker:
John C. Blair, II, City Attorney, City of Staunton
Melisa G. Michelsen, City Attorney, Cities of Waynesboro and Winchester
Joel Hinkley, Captain, Lynchburg Police Department

Smile you may be on camera, and the camera might belong to your local government. In the world of all-things digital and many things video, local governments have the opportunity to collect enormous amounts of images and data. The presentation will walk through the history and basics of the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act, discuss recent court cases and highlight the benefits, potential policy concerns and challenges of the automatic license plate recognition (FLOCK) devices and the enormous amount of data they can generate.

2:15 to 2:30 p.m. | Afternoon Break

2:30 to 4:30 p.m. | A Carnival of Ethics (2.0 Ethics MCLE)

Moderator: Michelle W. Clayton, Associate Attorney, Taxing Authority Consulting Services, P.C.

Speakers:
James W. Rice, Jr., Assistant Ethics Counsel, Virginia State Bar
Jim H. Guynn, Jr., Chief Counsel, Guynn Waddell P.C.
Michelle R. Robl, County Attorney, County of Prince William

This two-hour ethics session will first discuss Artificial Intelligence and legal ethics issues; the second hour will discuss ethical issues involved with the comparison between life inside the castle (in house counsel) and outside the castle (private firm). 

During the first hour, James Rice will discuss Artificial Intelligence and Legal Ethics, providing an overview of the opportunities and challenges of AI use by lawyers. The portion of the course reviews guidance from the ABA, Virginia State Bar, and other jurisdictions emphasizing core ethical themes of competence, confidentiality, communication, candor, supervisory responsibilities, and reasonable fees.  Real-world case studies and recent disciplinary actions illustrate the importance of diligence, proper supervision, and careful review of AI-generated content. Practical recommendations are provided for lawyers to responsibly integrate AI into their work.

During the second hour, Jim Guynn and Michelle Robl will cover how in house local government attorneys may be subject to an elected official walking into your office anytime; private firms as local government attorneys may never have an elected official walk in unannounced. Part of that is the private firm’s distance from some of their clients and part of it is that the elected’s are going to their headquarters building and communicating with local government staff.  The session will include discussions on duties owed to the Board/Council as opposed to individual members of the board (or council).

4:30 p.m. | Adjourn

LGA THANKS OUR SPONSORS

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of LGA education. If you are interested in sponsoring the 2026 LGA Regional Seminar or Fall Conference, please contact staff.

LGA THANKS OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS:

LGA THANKS YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN OUR CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS.