LGA THANKS OUR SPRING CONFERENCE SPONSORS:
If your logo isn’t in this list yet, contact christy.jenkins@easterassocates.com to become a conference sponsor today!
Join Us for LGA’s 2026 Spring Conference as the Celebrating Continues April 9-11 on the Portsmouth Waterfront!
50 Years of LGA Continues to Sparkle and Delight!
The stately Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel in Portsmouth, Virginia is the waterside backdrop for the LGA Spring Conference as we continue to celebrate our milestone birthday year. Here is what you can expect this April:
- 9 MCLE Hours – Topics will include the annual Legislative Update, along with Finance & Taxation, Employment Law, School Law, AI, and other topics.
- Thursday Evening Opening Night Party – LGA continues to look back 50 years and celebrate with a 70s themed opening night party featuring your favorite vintage party tunes! Send your playlist requests to christy.jenkins@easterassociates.com, and dig out that leisure suit from the back of your closet! No Tupperware permitted for leftovers, though!
- Friday Afternoon Free Time – View our Friday Activities list HERE.
- Friday Evening Awards Reception & Banquet – Join your colleagues for dinner in the Grand Ballroom to honor the 2026 Cherin Award winner. The Friday evening Hospitality Suite returns 8-10 pm.
LGA’s unique blend of professional development and networking is waiting for you on the waterfront this spring!
Registration:
Online registration closed April 2. Full registration is $500 and includes opening night party and Friday night banquet for those who RSVP their attendance; daily registration (which does NOT include socials) is $250 per day. Social Only registrations are available at $80 per social for both members and non-members/guests. Contact Christy Jenkins at christy.jenkins@easterassociates.com for more information about this option.
Prices increase for MCLE by $50 and $20 for socials after March 12.
Though online registration and payment is strongly preferred, you may also register by completing the printable registration form (when available) and mailing with payment or emailing it to staff.
REGISTRATION SYSTEM HOW-TO GUIDE
Room Block:
LGA has negotiated a room block at the Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel with rates starting at $179 per night, plus tax and $3/night occupancy fee; parking is $15/day. The room block will close Friday, March 20 at 5 pm, or once the block is full. The room reservation link will be distributed in the registration confirmation email. NOTE: Our program begins Thursday afternoon, April 9 and ends Saturday afternoon, April 11.
REMEMBER – register then reserve! Please refrain from reserving under a single name; each hotel reservation should be under the name of the ATTENDEE, and multiple rooms reserved under the same name will be flagged.
Exhibit Opportunities:
There are a limited number of tabletop exhibit spaces available; rates are $500; after March 26, there is an additional late registration fee of $50. To inquire about available exhibit space contact Christy Jenkins at christy.jenkins@easterassociates.com.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
LGA appreciates our conference sponsors for their generous support. For more information on opportunities, contact Christy Jenkins at christy.jenkins@easterassociates.com.
Law Fellow and Student Scholarships:
Law student and law fellow scholarship applications are available for LGA spring and fall conferences. Applications are due three weeks before the conference start. Please encourage your office’s law student interns, externs, and post-graduate law fellows to apply. Please contact Tara Mooney, Law School Liaison and Scholarship Committee chair at tmooney@pwcgov.org, with any questions, or contact staff.
Friday Afternoon Activities:
LGA is planning area activities on Friday afternoon, April 10. A list will be available closer to the conference. If you have any suggestions or interest in planning Friday Activities, contact LGA staff.
Important Documents:
- MCLE Forms for Attendees are available HERE. Forms for Speakers are available HERE.
- Friday Activities
- Online Registration opened February 26 and closed April 2.
- Early registration pricing ended March 12.
- Printable Registration Form
- Law student and law fellow application forms
- Hotel Room Reservation Link will be distributed in registration confirmation email.
- Cancellation Policy
- Registrant List will be made available at the conference.
- Presentation Handouts will be made available the week of the conference.
Help LGA Save Thousands of Dollars Per Year!
REMEMBER – register then reserve! MORE INFO HERE
Basket Raffle & Awards Dinner Info
If you are a full conference registrant, please RSVP your attendance at the Friday evening Banquet! The basket raffle is at the banquet and you must be present to win! MORE INFO HERE
PROGRAM
Following program has been approved, which will provide 9 MCLE, including 1.5 Wellness
The following sessions qualify for the Leadership Training for New and Aspiring Virginia Local Government Chief Legal Counsel:
Procuring Technology with AI qualifies for the optional topic of Procurement.
When the Crowd Turns qualifies for the optional topic of First Amendment – Freedom of Speech and Assembly.
Malicious Prosecution Cases qualifies for the optional topic of Tort liability.
The Spring Conference will feature a Dinner Banquet for awards and networking on Friday, April 10. Guests are encouraged, and our anticipated menu is Petite Filet with Red Wine Demi and Wild MushroomsPaired with Crab Cake with Lemon Lime Aioli, Served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Seasonal Vegetables (chef’s choice vegetarian alternate meal).
Thursday, April 9
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. LGA Spring Board Breakfast, Meeting, & Lunch with Committee/Practice Group Chairs
1 – 1:15 p.m. Opening Remarks
1:15 – 2:45 p.m. General Session A
Legislative Update (1.5 MCLE)
Moderator:
Cheran C. Ivery, City Attorney, City of Alexandria
Speakers:
Bonnie N. Brown, Deputy City Attorney, City of Alexandria
Laura M. Carini, City Attorney, City of Roanoke
Edward Reed, Vice President, Two Capitols Consulting
Panelists will provide an update on the results of the 2026 General Assembly session and subsequent veto session. The presentation will highlight enacted legislation impacting local governments and the practice of local government law, briefly address significant measures that did not pass, and discuss key issues and trends emerging from the session that are likely to affect Virginia’s counties, cities, and towns.
2:45 – 3 p.m. Annual Meeting
3 – 3:30 p.m. Break
3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Concurrent Sessions 1 & 2
Reining in Cats and Dogs: Improving Your Local Approach to Animal Law (1.5 MCLE)
Moderator:
Kristopher McClellan, Deputy City Attorney, City of Norfolk
Speakers:
Lauren Olivia Alexander, Assistant City Attorney, City of Hampton
Amy K. “Opie” Taylor, Investigator, Virginia Office of the Attorney General Animal Law Unit
Michelle Welch, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General
Local governments interact with animals across a variety of practice areas. The panel will provide practical pointers for navigating some common issues involving pets, service animals, and exotic animals. Panelists will discuss how to effectively counsel animal control officers and prepare a strong case for seizing/impounding animals. They will also review the duties of animal owners and the nuances of prosecuting animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect cases. The session concludes with an overview of exotic animal regulation and why your locality should consider an exotic animal ordinance if you don’t already have one.
Evolving Standards: Investigating Misconduct Allegations & Discrimination Claims in Today’s Public Schools (1.5 MCLE)
Moderator:
Dascher L. Pasco, Attorney, Troutman Pepper Locke
Speakers:
Erin M. Harrigan, Counsel, Troutman Pepper Locke
Sona Rewari, Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP
Christine Smith, School Division Counsel, Arlington Public Schools
Virginia’s public school systems are facing a new era of misconduct allegations and discrimination claims from students and families, often mirroring the broader social divisions facing our communities. This panel will examine new trends and priorities in how K–12 schools investigate misconduct and discrimination claims, including shifts in federal and state guidance, changing expectations around Title IX and civil rights enforcement, trauma‑informed and student‑centered approaches, the role of social media and digital evidence, and best practices for conducting fair, timely, and defensible investigations to aid in litigation. Panelists will offer practical strategies to help districts respond effectively to complaints, reduce legal risk, and foster safe and inclusive learning environments.
5:30– 6:30 p.m. Friends of Bill Meeting
6:30– 8:30 p.m. Opening Night Party
Friday, April 10
8 – 9 a.m. Breakfast
9 – 10:30 a.m. General Session B
Procuring Technology with AI: Issue-Spotting for Local Government (1.5 MCLE)
Moderator:
Leo P. Rogers, County Attorney, County of Loudoun
Speakers:
Caitlin W. Weston, Deputy City Attorney, City of Charlottesville
Theresa J. Fontana, Deputy County Attorney, County of Loudoun
This session focuses on how AI is increasingly embedded in the technology products local governments procure. Speakers will introduce practical, high-level contracting terms and outline considerations and review questions that local government attorneys can use to identify and address AI-related risk during procurement.
10:30 – 11 a.m. Break
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions 3 & 4
When the Crowd Turns: Legal Landmines in Protest Response (1.5 MCLE)
Moderator:
Brandi A. Law, Senior Deputy City Attorney, City of Hampton
Speakers:
Brandi A. Law, Senior Deputy City Attorney, City of Hampton
John Clair, Police Chief, Town of Blacksburg and President, Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Dale Mullen, Partner, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston and Legislative Counsel, Virginia Chiefs of Police (VACP) and Virginia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (VACLEA)
The call comes at 9 PM on a Friday. Protesters have gathered at the town square. Counter-protesters are arriving. Your police chief wants guidance—now. In the next four hours, decisions will be made that could expose your locality to years of litigation, federal civil rights actions, and millions in settlements. The question is not whether your locality will face a protest event.
The question is whether you will have counseled your client effectively before decisions are made under pressure – decisions that will be examined by federal courts, scrutinized by media, and litigated for years. This program will address: the shifting constitutional framework after the Fourth Circuit’s 2025 decision in Balogh v. Virginia; What police are, and are not, obligated to do when violence erupts between opposing groups; “Unlawful assembly” declarations; use-of-force policies during civil unrest; legal counsel’s role before, during, and immediately after protest events; and indemnification, qualified immunity, and the emerging liability landscape for localities.
Imposters Anonymous (1.5 Wellness MCLE)
Moderator:
Benjamin P. Titter, Assistant City Attorney, City of Chesapeake
Speakers:
Andreas Bienert, Deputy Clinical Director and Tidewater Regional Manager, Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program
Andrew Fox, County Attorney, County of Frederick
Jan L. Proctor, County Attorney, County of Accomack
Have you ever questioned your competence, felt like a fraud, doubted your accomplishments, or wondered how you made it this far in your career? If so, you are not alone. Imposter syndrome is a widespread issue among attorneys, judges, and legal professionals—distorting thoughts including competence, undermining confidence, impacting professional performance, and oftentimes leads to chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and additional well-being issues, including burnout. Although imposterism can affect anyone, the legal profession is uniquely susceptible to it given the many occupational risks, including the adversarial nature of the work, the need to display confidence and conceal vulnerability, individual work, high-stakes work, perfectionist culture, and the constant pressure to meet expectations. By being better informed about imposter syndrome and addressing it, the legal profession can cultivate more competent and confident attorneys, reinforce professional ethics, and support lawyer well-being.
12:30 – 4:30 p.m. Lunch on own/Afternoon Activities (on own)
6 – 8 p.m. Awards Reception & Banquet
8– 10 p.m. Hospitality Room
Saturday, April 11
8:30 – 9 a.m. Breakfast
9 – 10:30 a.m. General Session C
Overview of the Affordable Housing Toolbox (1.5 MCLE)
Moderator:
Brett A. Callahan, Assistant County Attorney, County of Fairfax
Speakers:
Adrienne Buenavista, Senior Assistant County Attorney, County of Loudoun
Brett A. Callahan, Assistant County Attorney, County of Fairfax
Cory J. Wolfe, Assistant City Attorney, City of Hampton
As more tools to promote affordable housing become available to more localities, local government practitioners need to be familiar with the options to help their clients build a successful housing strategy. This CLE will provide an overview of affordable housing tools, focusing on zoning and other mechanisms and directly facilitating affordable housing through real estate acquisition and development, public-private partnerships, land banking, and procurements. Presenters will discuss practical applications through hypothetical projects and real-world examples.
10:30 – 11 a.m. Hotel Check-out Break
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions 3 & 4
Affordable Housing Financing Mechanisms (1.5 MCLE)
Moderator:
Lawrence S. Spencer, Jr., Town Attorney, Town of Blacksburg
Speakers:
Michael W.S. Lockaby, Member, Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC
Mark Buenavista, Director of Capital Planning & Development Division, Fairfax County Department of Housing & Community Development
Affordable housing often requires more, and more complex, financial mechanisms than standard real estate deals. Funding a single affordable housing development may require tapping a number of sources such as project-based housing voucher subsidies, tax credits, private, state, and local government loans, bonds, and any number of other funding mechanisms – each with their own qualification and compliance requirements. This session will focus on the financial aspects of real estate projects that include affordable housing and will cover financing tools that are specific to residential developments, as well as other generally available development finance options.
Malicious Prosecution Cases in State and Federal Court from Inception through Trial (1.5 MCLE)
Moderator:
James A. Cales, III, Attorney, Furniss, Davis, Rashkind and Saunders PC
Speakers:
Brian N. Casey, Partner, Clarke, Dolph, Hull & Brunick, PLC
David P. Corrigan, Partner, Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman, P.C.
Bonnie P. Lane, Assistant City Attorney, City of Norfolk
This presentation will address malicious prosecution in state court from demurrer or special plea through the trial court, the Va. Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Virginia, with an emphasis on procedural tactics and the best ways to utilize them. Similarly, for the federal cases, the presentation will focus on 12(b)(6); discovery, if necessary; Summary Judgment; trial; and appeals under federal law. Inevitably, both state and federal immunity issues will also be considered.
LGA THANKS OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS:
