Olson & Olson congratulates the City of Dickinson’s City Administrator, Julie Johnston, for being presented with the Paul Harris Award for Rotarian Community Service at the Rotary Club of Dickinson’s weekly noon meeting on June 26, 2013.  Olson & Olson attorneys Loren Smith, Donna Johnson, and Jim Robinson were present at the event.

We are pleased to announce that Eric C. Farrar joined Olson & Olson, LLP on June 17, 2013. Eric is board certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Prior to joining the Firm, Eric was a Senior Staff Attorney with the Houston First Court of Appeals, focusing on complex civil litigation, where he was responsible for the issuance of opinions in over 300 appeals and original proceedings. Eric is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, served as a Lieutenant, Surface Warfare Officer, and has served on the USS Cushing and USS Reuben James. He is a graduate of Baylor University School of Law.

On June 7, 2013, the Texas Supreme Court issued an opinion in the case of City of Bellaire, et al. v. Johnson, — S.W.3d —-, 2013 WL 2450151 (Tex.).  The opinion addressed the issue of whether a city may be held liable for a common law damage claim brought by an employee provided by a leasing agency, or whether the employee is limited to the remedies provided under the Texas Workers Compensation laws.  The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the City of Bellaire holding that the plaintiff, who was injured while working on a City solid waste truck and who was paid by a private staffing agency, was an employee of the City for purpose of applying the Workers Compensation laws applicable to cities.  Based on its holding, the Supreme Court reversed an earlier court of appeals decision and rendered judgment in favor of the City dismissing the employee’s damages claim.  Olson & Olson, LLP, partner, Patricia Hayden represented the City of Bellaire.

Today, Olson & Olson joins our friends with the City of Houston in mourning the loss of four brave souls who perished in a hotel fire on Friday, May 31, 2013. We remember the lives of firefighters Robert Garner, Anne Sullivan, Robert Bebee and Captain Mathew Renauld. Our best wishes and prayers go out to their families and friends. We also commend all of the service men and women who put their own lives at risk for our protection every day.

Robert Garner
Anne Sullivan
Robert Bebee
Captain Mathew Renaud

Look for your Olson & Olson municipal attorneys at the Texas City Attorneys Association Summer Conference in South Padre, June 5 – 7, 2013

Olson & Olson is pleased to welcome Kelly A. Dempsey to our legal team. As a skilled attorney with extensive trial practice, Kelly is prepared to aggressively represent our clients in matters of litigation. Her extensive first chair jury trial history includes almost 50 successful verdicts.
Ms. Dempsey comes to our firm with 15 years’ cumulative experience at the City of Houston, having been a Senior Assistant City Attorney during the past six years. Her career also includes work in the private sector where she represented and defended a variety of business clients in premise liability, security, construction, medical malpractice, workers compensation, and automobile litigation, both with a private firm and in her solo practice. Not only has she practiced law, she has also taught criminal law in Houston’s community college system. Kelly received her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in 1993, after having earned her BBA from the University of Texas at Austin.
When not practicing law, Kelly devotes her volunteer hours as an adult role model to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Houston, helping to impact children who face adversity. Kelly’s little brother, Travis, has reaped the benefits of her knowledge and positive impact for the past nine years – he is 20 now, but the relationship continues!
Also near and dear to Kelly’s heart is her association with the Texas Gulf Coast Master Naturalist program, where she is a member of the corps of well-informed volunteers who provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. As a Texas Master Naturalist, Kelly enjoys not only getting her feet wet and her hands dirty, but also spending time in a natural setting, learning about different plant and animal species, and discovering new things.

We would be pleased if you would join us for our Local Government Seminar.  Follow this link to register and see more details:

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e6rliq0jfd3997a2&oseq=

Olson & Olson attorney Charles Williams, will present “Municipal Debt Instruments – An Overview” during the Public Finance Program at the Texas City Attorneys Association meeting in conjunction with TML’s Annual Conference and Exhibition.

 

Congratulations to one of our senior attorneys, Mario Dell’Osso, for having been named to the 2012 Super Lawyers list as one of the top attorneys in the State of Texas in the practice areas of “government/cities/municipalities, civil litigation defense, and appellate” for 2012.  Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations using a rigorous multi–phased process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by lawyers in the same practice area.

O&O is proud to announce that Kim Mickelson has been appointed to serve on the Development Regulations Committee for the League. The Committee will help establish TML positions on legislation, and monitor bills that may be introduced in the upcoming legislative session  in areas including annexation, economic development, eminent domain, subdivisions & zoning, and other development issues such as signs, religious land use, and vested rights.