Olson & Olson, LLP’s attorney Jim Robinson spoke on “Deposition Techniques & Trends” at a 2-day conference hosted by the IAAO which was held June 5-6 at the University of Missouri- Kansas City (UMKC)’s School of Law.  The conference also included sessions on trial advocacy, making the decision to go to trial, implications of Daubert & Frye, electronic evidence and the use of technology at trial. Training also included presentations, mock trial vignettes, video demonstrations, and panel discussions.

 The subject property of the trial re-enactment was a hotel.

 

Brian J. Begle, Partner at Olson & Olson, LLP, presented “Best Practice for HR Employee Policies, Handbooks and Job Descriptions” at the Texas Municipal League Human Resource Association’s Annual Conference in Galveston on May 7, 2014. The session provided a legal perspective on best practices, key elements, and practical tips in the development and/or modification of policies, employee handbooks, and job descriptions as well as other information relevant to HR professionals.

Employee volunteers from Olson & Olson, LLP will join Gulf Coast Authority and other Community Volunteers to clean the environment at the River, Lakes Bays ‘N Bayous Trash Bash. Locations to benefit from this grand event include:

Armand Bayou (Bay Area Park), Bastrop Bayou (Marlin Marina), Brays Bayou (Mason Park), Buffalo Bayou (North Drennan Street), Buffalo Bayou Upper (Terry Hershey Park), Cypress Creek (Collins Park), Dickinson Bayou (Highway 3 Bridge), Galveston Bay (Seabrook – Bay Elementary ), Galveston Bay (Virginia Point Peninsula Preserve), Lake Conroe (Cagle Recreation Area), Lake Houston (Lake Houston Marina), Little White Oak Bayou (Moody Park) , Sims Bayou (Glenbrook/Reveille/Sims Woods Parks), White Oak Bayou (Little Thicket Park), White Oak Bayou North (Ermel Elementary School), and White Oak Bayou Upper (Jersey Village).

For more information, go to www.trashbash.org

 

Scott Bounds will serve on a panel discussion regarding the competing interests of the city, developer and possible bondholders in projects financed with Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) Agreements for .75 hour of CLE credit on Thursday, March 27, 2014.

Additionally, Kimberley Mickelson, together with the City of Galveston’s City Attorney Dorothy Palumbo, will present “Ethical Considerations in Land Use Practice” for a 1.00 hour ethics CLE credit on Friday, March 28.  Course content will review rules which address attorneys’, planners’, and elected officials’ conduct and ethical obligations in land use applications and decision-making.

Refer to www.utcle.org for more information.

We enjoyed hosting almost 300 people at our seminar this year

If you were there, we hope enjoyed it; if you missed it, mark your calendar for next year’s event … Thursday, January 29, 2015

 

You will have the opportunity to listen, learn, and enjoy presentations on legal matters and human resource issues while you visit with old friends and, hopefully, make new ones!

 

Hope to see you there!

Olson & Olson attorneys Todd Stewart and Tammy White-Chaffer were among the presenters at the International Association of Assessing Officer’s 34^th Annual Legal Seminar in Fort Worth on December 12-13, 2013. Todd’s presentation was on the Texas Property Tax Code and its impact on the state’s revenue; Tammy delivered a presentation entitled “Ethical Considerations for Lawyers Representing Government.”   Also in attendance were O&O attorneys Jenny Rogers, and Jim Robinson.

The IAAO was founded in 1934 as a nonprofit, educational, and research association.  Currently, its worldwide professional membership consists of 7,000+ government assessment officials and others interested in the administration of the property tax and includes representatives from the governmental, business, and academic communities.  The IAAO’s mission is to promote innovation and excellence in property appraisal, assessment administration, and property tax policy through professional development, education, research, and technical assistance.

On October 18, 2013, the Texas Supreme Court denied a petition for review filed by the plaintiffs in a $36 million challenge to oil well drilling restrictions the City of Houston adopted to protect its drinking water supply.  The plaintiffs alleged that the application of the drilling restrictions to mineral interests they owned in property on the north shore of Lake Houston constituted a regulatory taking of their property without compensation in violation of the Texas Constitution.  The Supreme Court’s action left standing an earlier decision of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals that rendered judgment for the City, finding that the plaintiff had failed to demonstrate a compensable regulatory taking.  Olson & Olson partner, John J. Hightower, represented the City of Houston.

http://www.search.txcourts.gov/SearchMedia.aspx?MediaVersionID=016ac73a-4a55-4e4a-aab1-fe151eb99d0d&coa=coa14&DT=Opinion&MediaID=589b833a-39c8-4084-bfc1-2aaa311868de

Scott Bounds and Donna Johnson provided training for the Directors of the Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority related to standards  of conduct, conflicts of interest, and open meetings at its Annual Fall Retreat on October 18, 2013.  John Hightower and Brian Begle also attended the Board’s training sessions.  The Directors’ Retreat included presentations by GCA’s staff and consultants, and State Representative Wayne Smith, Special Counsel to  Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Stephanie Bergeron Perdue, and General Manager of the Gulf Coast Water Authority Ivan Langford.