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MCLE Forms: MCLE has been approved for Course ID LGLL002 for 6.00 credit hours including 2.00 credit hours for Ethics by the Virginia Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board.

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2024 LGA Regional Seminar Schedule

6.0 MCLE including 2.0 ethics credit

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

9 – 10:30 a.m. | Fourth Amendment Laws for Zoning Inspectors: The Ins and Outs of Getting In and Getting It Done (1.5 MCLE)

Moderator:
W. Clarke Whitfield, Jr., City Attorney, City of Danville

Speakers:
Sheree A. Konstantinou, Deputy County Attorney, County of York

This course will provide an introductory framework for new practitioners and a refresher for experienced government attorneys. The focus of the course will be the ins and outs – or dos and don’ts – of entry into private space by government actors. Of primary importance will be the day-to-day actions of various compliance officers as they work to enforce local ordinances. Issues particular to our various agencies will include: building safety and codes compliance (enforcement action in the residential and in the commercial setting); animal welfare and control (entry into private space for the protection of animals); and compliance officers in the criminal world.

10:30 – 10:45 a.m. | Break

10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Tools and Tactics for Combating Blight in Virginia Localities (1.25 MCLE)

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

Speakers:
Brandi A. Law, Senior Deputy City Attorney, City of Hampton
Tara A. McGee, County Attorney, County of Goochland

This panel will provide a discussion of the tools available to localities in addressing nuisance or blighted properties and businesses. This session will give practical tips for dealing with issues like unsafe structures, code violations including property maintenance code, and properties with regular criminal activity. 

12:00 – 12:45 p.m. | Lunch

12:45 pm – 2 p.m. – Land Use Landmines – Strategies to Minimize Litigation Risk in Zoning Decisions (1.25 MCLE)

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

Speakers:
Blaire H. O’Brien, Attorney, Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman, P.C.
Dennis A. Walter, County Attorney, County of Hanover

This panel will provide a discussion of litigation arising from zoning decisions of local governing bodies, with a view to identifying strategies to both minimize risk when litigation inevitably arises and enhance the likelihood of a successful outcome.   

2 – 2:15 p.m. | Break

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. | The First Question: Who Is Your Client?(1.0 Ethics MCLE)

Moderator:
Michelle W. Clayton, County Attorney, County of Northampton

Speakers:
John C. Blair, II, City Attorney, City of Staunton
Thomas E. Spahn, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP 

This interactive program uses hypotheticals to address the most basic question preceding any conflicts (and many other ethics and privilege) analyses:  who is your client?  After discussing client identity when representing the government, partnerships, associations, insureds, estates and bond deal participants, the program focuses on client identity in the corporate context.  Among other things, the program addresses client identity within the corporate entity, within a corporate family, during corporate stock and asset sale transactions, and when dealing with corporate employees.

3:15 – 3:30 p.m. | Break

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Electronic Era Ethics (1.0 Ethics MCLE)

Moderator:
Michelle W. Clayton, County Attorney, County of Northampton

Speakers:
Thomas E. Spahn, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP
John C. Blair, II, City Attorney, City of Staunton

This interactive program uses hypotheticals to highlight the dramatic effect email, texts and other electronic communications have had on lawyers’ ethics duties. The program generally follows the lifespan of an attorney-client relationship, including:  creation of the relationship (such as the effect of an unsolicited email from a would-be client); the ethical propriety of electronic communications with clients (especially lawyers who practice “virtually”); communications with adversaries (including “reply all” emails, lawyers’ response to inadvertently transmitted communications, and metadata); dealing with third parties (such as service providers and outsourced colleagues); discovery (such as accessing adverse witnesses’ social media); jurors’ research and communications; judges’ research and “friending” of lawyers; attorney-client relationships’ termination.

4:30 p.m. | Adjourn

LGA appreciates our sponsorship support!

SCHEDULE

The 2024 LGA Outreach Committee will provide a program with topics of interest and importance to local government attorneys. Once finalized, the schedule will be listed below and a printable program with session descriptions and speaker information will be available for download. Our program typically begins with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and ends by 5 p.m. and includes a breakfast and a lunch for in-person attendees.

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LGA THANKS OUR SPONSORS

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