The Texas City Attorneys Association (TCAA) is proud to announce the 2026 TCAA Summer Conference, to be held June 24-26, 2026, at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston . The TCAA Summer Conference is the best CLE program created specifically for municipal lawyers.

Registration Opens

Registration and the TCAA hotel block are now open! (see below for links)
Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Topics Include

Legislative Update and Forecast
First and Second Amendment Auditors
Enforcing Solid Waste Franchise Agreements
Councilmember Conduct
Use of Generative AI
Construction Issues
Animal Ordinances
And more!

MCLE Hours

This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas in the amount of 12.50 credit hours, of which 2.75 credit hours will apply to legal ethics/professional responsibility credit.

The course number is To Be Announced.
How to Report MCLE Hours

General Information

Speaker Materials

TCAA does not provide written materials, binders for speaker papers or printed materials of any kind.
Instead, TCAA will put all speaker papers on the Conference Materials page for attendees to download in advance.

Registration Information

(Now live) REGISTRATION LINK

Registration includes online handouts (made available the week of the conference), Wednesday evening reception hosted by T.Wilson, Thursday morning breakfast hosted by Hyde Kelley LLP, the Thursday evening reception hosted by Taylor Olson Adkins Sralla & Elam, LLP, and the Friday morning breakfast, as well as early access to the on-demand videos of the sessions when posted.*

*Please note that there may be limitations on the number of attendee guests at the receptions.

Looking to network? See who’s attending.

Cancellation and Substitution Policy

If you are registered and cannot attend, we encourage you to send a substitute. If you cannot send a substitute, a $75 cancellation fee will be assessed if written cancellation is received by May 29, 2026. No refunds will be honored after that date.

Special Accommodations

Let us know if you need special accommodations of any kind. In order to respond to any special requests, we would appreciate as much advance notice as possible. To ensure your dietary needs are met, please email TCAA@tml.org no later than May 8, 2026, with your requests.

Continuing Education Credit

This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 12.50 credit hours, of which 2.75 credit hours will apply to legal ethics/professional responsibility credit

Questions?

Please call us at 512-231-7400 or email TCAA@tml.org

Registration

(Now live) REGISTRATION LINK

Fees

Tuition includes Wednesday evening reception hosted by T.Wilson, Thursday morning breakfast, hosted by Hyde Kelley LLP, the Thursday evening reception hosted by Taylor Olson Adkins Sralla & Elam, LLP, and the Friday morning breakfast, online handouts, and priority notice when the conference session videos are posted online for viewing. Pricing is as follows:

Rates	Early Bird (Starts April 7)	After May 19
Members	$499	$519
Non-Members	$539	$559

Cancellation and Substitution Policy

A $75 fee will be assessed on all registration cancellations. Only written cancellations received prior to May 29, 2026, will be honored. Telephone cancellations will not be accepted. You may send cancellations by e-mail to accounting@tml.org. If the registrant is unable to attend, the registrant may send a substitute.

After May 29, 2026, please plan to bring your completed form and payment in the form of a check with you to the onsite registration table.

Hotel

Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa & Convention Center
7 Hope Blvd
Galveston, Texas 77554
(409) 741-8484

(now open) HOTEL LINK

Caution

Please be aware of housing poachers if contacted about booking hotel rooms for the 2026 TCAA Summer Conference. Please note we are NOT working with any other companies to provide housing except the ones listed above.

Local Attraction Day Passes

Cost: $45
Include the Aquarium & Rainforest Pyramids, the Discovery Museum, One (1) 3D and 4D theater selection, One (1) 20,000 Leagues Interactive Adventure and Ropes Course (if available) on the day of purchase.
Can be purchased at the two kiosks in the hotel’s lobby

Agenda

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Wednesday, June 24

Wednesday Conference Gift sponsored by Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP

12:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Registration and Refreshments

1:00 – 1:45 p.m.
First and Second Amendment Auditors and Freedom of Speech: Legal and Practical Issues (.75 hour)
Joseph Florance and Chase Strapp, TML Intergovernmental Risk Pool; and Scott Houston, Bovey & Cochran, PLLC

1:45 – 2:30 p.m.
The Long and Winding Road – A City’s Path to Resolving Construction Disputes in 2026 (.75 hour)
Amy Emerson, Allensworth

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Break

2:45 – 3:15 p.m.
Legislative Forecast(.50 hour)
Bill Longley and Michael Martin, Texas Municipal League

3:15 – 4:15 p.m.
PUC Update (1.0 hour)
Emily Rogers, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP

4:15 – 5:30 p.m.
TCAA Board of Directors Meeting

5:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception, hosted by T.Wilson

Thursday, June 25

Thursday Conference Gift sponsored by Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C.

7:00 – 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast, hosted by Hyde Kelley LLP

8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Julie Fort, TCAA President
Welcome Remarks
Donna Fairweather, Interim City Attorney for Galveston
Awards Ceremony

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Enforcing Franchise Agreements – What To Do When The Waste Company Collects and Doesn’t Pay (.50 hour)
Christopher Duncan, City of Clute

9:00 – 9:30 a.m.
The Changing Scope of Immunity (.50 hour)
Ben Stephens and Sandy Hellums-Gomez, Husch Blackwell

9:30 – 10:00 a.m.
State Cases of Interest (.50 hour)
Laura Mueller, Baker Robertson & O’Brien

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. Break

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.
Dying to Ask – Cemetery and Burial Q & A for Cities (.75 hour)
Katie Leininger, City of Pearland

11:00 – 11:45 a.m.
We got sued! SOS Save the Scripts, and Body Cam, Too! (.75 hour ethics)
Clarissa Rodriguez and Kelly Albin, Denton, Navarro, Rodriguez, Bernal, Santee & Zech PC

11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch on Your Own

1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Business Meeting

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Investigations 401 (1 hour ethics)
Sarah Glaser and Laura Ingram, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C.

2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Council Member Conduct (.50 hour ethics)
Thomas Gwosdz, The Gwosdz Law Firm, PLLC

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Break

3:15 – 3:45 p.m.
Shadow AI in Public Sector: Governing the Unofficial Use of Generative AI (.50 hour)
Ryan Burns and Mike Bell, TML Risk Pool

3:45– 4:30 p.m.
Law and Odor: Drinking Water Unit (.75 hour)
Lora Naismith and Emily Moyes, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle and Townsend PC

5:30 p.m.
Reception, hosted by Taylor Olson Adkins Sralla & Elam, LLP

Friday, June 26

Friday Conference Gift sponsored by TML Risk Pool

7:00 – 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast

8:00 – 8:45 a.m.
Land Use (SB840) (.75 hour)
Tommy Mann, Winstead PC

8:45 – 9:15 a.m.
Top 10 Considerations for Municipal Construction Contracts (.50 hour)
Tiffany Leal, Chapman Negrete PLLC

9:15 – 10:00 a.m.
No Hard Hat Required: Demystifying Financing for Development Infrastructure (.75 hour)
Mary Petty and Jordan Sawyer, P3Works, LLC; and Julie Partain, Bracewell LLP

10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Break

10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
The Tortured Purchasing Department: Special “Cooperative Purchasing” Edition in “2026 Galveston Beach Glitter Blue” (.50 hour)
Courtney White, City of Amarillo; and Sandy Hellums-Gomez, Husch Blackwell

10:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Who is my client? Boards and Commissions (.50 hour ethics)
Jonathan Koury, City of Bryan

11:15 – 12:00 p.m.
From Dangerous Dogs to Backyard Chickens: Updating Animal Ordinances post-HB 2127 and the Right to Farm. (.75 hour)
Katherine C. “Kelly” Hairfield, The Hodge Firm, PLLC

12:00 p.m.
Adjourn