Notices and Announcements

Volume 10, Issue 9

TCAA 2015 Fall Conference in San Antonio

The Texas City Attorneys Association (TCAA) Fall Conference will be held in conjunction with the TML Annual Conference and Exhibition on September 24, 2015, in Room 006A-D at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Topics will include: (1) ADA update; (2) environmental audits; (3) recent state and federal cases; (4) DWI and terminations; (5) ethics; and (6) domestic partner benefits, sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, and Obergefell v. Hodges. Attorneys can earn up to 4.75 MCLE hours, including 1 ethics hour.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER. (Note: The schedule for the TCAA program is available under “Affiliate Programs,” and most attorneys who will not be attending the entire TML Annual Conference and Exhibition will want to choose the “one-day registration” option, which is $160 for TML members.)  If you have questions or need more information, please contact Heather Mahurin at 512-231-7400 or heather@tml.org.

A number of items will be submitted to the TCAA membership for approval at the TCAA business meeting, which will be held on September 24, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. (the same day as the CLE sessions):

  • TCAA to Fill Board Position on September 24, 2015
  • Proposed Dues Increase Vote on September 24, 2015

The TCAA Board of Directors has unanimously approved a membership vote on a flat dues increase of $10.00 for each class of membership at the Business Meeting at the Semi-Annual Conference in San Antonio on September 24, 2015.  The increased dues would be as follows:

Active members who are city attorneys:                                       $70.00

Active members who are assistant city attorneys:                       $40.00

Associate members:                                                                      $80.00

A detailed memo regarding the proposed increase is available here and under the “About TCAA” tab, “TCAA Membership Information” section, on the TCAA website at www.texascityattorneys.org.

  • Proposed Constitutional Amendment on September 24, 2015

The TCAA Constitution provides for a board of directors to govern the association.  The board meets at least three times per year.  The directors’ local duties sometimes mean that conducting TCAA business through telephonic and electronic communications would be desirable, but the Constitution does not currently authorize such official communications.   To allow such communications, the TCAA board has unanimously approved a membership vote at the Business Meeting at the Semi-Annual Conference in San Antonio on September 24, 2015.  The amendment resolution is available here and under the “About TCAA” tab, “Board of Directors” section, on the TCAA website at www.texascityattorneys.org.

2015 Outstanding Government Lawyer Award

Congratulations to Marcus Norris on his receipt of this year’s Outstanding Government Lawyer Award! The Government Law Section of the State Bar gives this annual award to lawyers who exemplify the ideals of dedication, professionalism, and ethics in service that have benefited the public or a governmental entity.  Read more about Mr. Norris here.

IMLA Salary Survey Report is Available

Released in February 2015, IMLA’s 2014 Compensation Report includes salary data for the following job classifications: chief legal officer, deputy chief legal officer, managing attorney, senior assistant (20+ Years), assistant IV (15-20yrs), assistant III (10-15yrs), assistant II (5-10 Years), assistant I (1-5 years), new lawyer with judicial clerkship, new lawyer with law review, new lawyer, paralegal, legal assistant, law clerk, and secretary.  For order forms, please email salarysurvey@imla.org.

Members: $199

Non-Members: $499

FREE CLE!

The 2015 TCAA Summer Conference and the 2014 TCAA Fall Conference Sessions are Available Online

The TCAA Online Seminars are FREE, allowing TCAA members who are city attorneys, assistant city attorneys, or attorneys who regularly practice municipal law to view videos of past seminars in a singlesession format. Viewing of the session allows attorneys to receive participatory CLE credit with the State Bar. To view available seminars, please visit www.tcaaonlineseminars.org. (Use the case-sensitive password “FreeCLE” to gain access to the sessions.)

If you would like to have an article considered for publication in the TCAA newsletter, please send your request to Christy Drake-Adams at christy@tml.org.