2021 LGA Regional Seminar
Date: June 25, 2021
The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, Blacksburg
6.0 MCLE including 2.0 Ethics credits

The purpose of this seminar is to provide a one-day educational program in a location outside of our semi-annual conferences. We hope you will join us for this event which puts a special emphasis on small localities.

  • ALL REGISTRANTS Registrants can access program materials via email. Evaluations were sent by email on Friday morning at 11:15 a.m. Please complete an evaluation to help improve LGA programs. MCLE forms were distributed by email to all registrants. 
  • THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS for their generous support of our on-site breaks (including ice cream!) and for the $20 Starbucks gift cards to those who registered remotely. For more information about our sponsors, please scroll down!


 

 



Important Documents:

Seminar Schedule
Registrant List
Presentation Download (LGA MEMBERS: Log in to access presentations. NON-MEMBERS: Contact Amy Sales for files.)
Remote Attendee Information


SCHEDULE: Printable Schedule

8:30 a.m. Seminar Check-in

9 to 10:30 a.m. Legislative Case Law (1.5 MCLE)

Moderator: 
Michelle Workman Clayton, Town Attorney, Town of Wytheville

Speakers:
Monica Monday, Managing Partner, Gentry Locke
Michelle Gowdy, Executive Director & General Counsel, Virginia Municipal League


The case review will cover recent Supreme Court of Virginia cases important to local governments in Virginia. The legislative update will include highlights from the 2021 General and Special Session along with how they affect local government. There will also be a discussion of the upcoming Special Sessions (yes, more than one) and how they may affect local government.  
10:30 a.m. Morning Break

10:45 a.m. 12:15 p.m. FOIA (1.5 MCLE)

Moderators: 
Meredith Jacobi, Assistant City Attorney, City of Chesapeake

Speakers:
Roger Wiley, Of Counsel, Hefty Wiley & Gore
Ellen Bergren, Deputy City Attorney, City of Chesapeake


The presentation on the Virginia Freedom of Information Act will address the following topics: 
  • Purpose, structure and impacts of the Freedom of Information Act on access to meetings and documents; duty to train governing body and designate VFOIA compliance officer.
  • Common stumbling blocks and conundrums such as insufficient motions for closed sessions, incomplete or untimely responses to documents/information requests, misapplication of working papers exemption, etc.; managing the serial requestor; untangling new rules regarding production of investigative files.
  • Litigation practices under the Act, including FOIA motions practice and trials in General District Court, limitations of claims, interacting with pro se plaintiffs, and the intersection of FOIA with discovery.
12:15 p.m. Lunch

1:15 to 2:15 p.m. Emerging Issues/Hot Topics in HR (1.0 MCLE)

Moderators: 
Jeremy Carroll, Principal, Guynn Waddell Carroll & Lockaby
David Collins, Assistant City Attorney, City of Roanoke

Speakers:
Jim Guynn, Principal, Guynn Waddell Carroll & Lockaby
Tim Spencer, City Attorney, City of Roanoke


The program will focus on emerging and recurring issues of interest to local government practitioners in the area of personnel.  Emerging issues to be discussed will include possible changes to drug testing and workplace policies in light of the legalization of marijuana, the recent trend for plaintiff’s attorneys to file employment claims in state court, and collective bargaining.  Recurring issues to be discussed will include dealing with members of governing bodies who want to micro-manage personnel decisions, as well as common compensation, leave, discipline and termination issues.
2:15 p.m. Afternoon Break
2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Ethics Panel (2.0 Ethics MCLE)

Speaker: Eric Monday, City Attorney, City of Martinsville

Entertaining ethics scenarios with a Shakespearean flair, interspersed with trivia from The Bard’s works and era.  The attendee with the highest score on the trivia will go home with a prize.  No cheating—because it’s ethics!  Darest thou to tempt Fate’s barbed observation? Or anon, keep silence, and in the least, comply for thy required hours!

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LGA THANKS OUR SPONSORS

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of LGA education. If you are interested in sponsoring the 2021 LGA Regional Seminar, please contact Amy Sales at [email protected].
 


Jeremy Carroll, Principal | [email protected] | (540) 387-2320 | www.guynnwaddell.com




Jeff Scharf | [email protected] | (703) 425-7751 | www.taxva.com
John Rife | [email protected] | (804) 545-2379 | www.taxva.com

 

Jenny Haverland | [email protected] | (800) 262-2633 ext. 1536 | www.municode.com


Monica Monday | [email protected] | (540) 983-9405 | www.gentrylocke.com





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