The following TCAA programs are in alpha-order by the program’s name.
City Attorneys Responding in an Emergency (CARE Unit)
The City Attorneys Responding in an Emergency (CARE) Unit helps local city attorneys respond to a catastrophic event by providing critical legal assistance to facilitate recovery.
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Galen Sparks and Susan Rocha Awards for Outstanding Public Service
The TCAA Galen Sparks Award for Outstanding Public Service is intended to recognize and honor a current or former city attorney or assistant city attorney for significant and distinguished career achievements in the field of municipal law. The TCAA board grants one award each year for an in-house city or assistant city attorney.
The TCAA Susan Rocha Award for Outstanding Public Service is intended to recognize and honor any current or former city attorney or assistant city attorney for significant and distinguished career achievements in the field of municipal law. The TCAA board grants one award each year for outside counsel serving as a city attorney or assistant city attorney.
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Law Student Scholarships
One of TCAA’s primary roles is to provide its members with the highest quality continuing education through its conferences and seminars. TCAA also aims to expose law students to the municipal law practice area. To this end, the TCAA Board invites law students attending ABA-accredited law schools to submit an application for a scholarship to attend the Riley Fletcher Basic Municipal Law Seminar (held in February in even numbered years) or the TCAA Fall Seminar (held annually in the fall). Each scholarship will cover conference registration fees.
Municipal Certification Program
TCAA’s Municipal Certification Program recognizes attorneys who demonstrate advanced knowledge and experience in municipal law. The program includes separate certifications for municipal prosecutors, municipal civil law attorneys, and office certifications.
The application fee is $50 for individual certification or $100 for office certification. The program is voluntary, and certification is not a State Bar of Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification. Recipients will receive a certificate suitable for display and be recognized before the TCAA membership.
Outstanding Mentor Award
The TCAA Outstanding Mentor Award is intended to recognize and honor a municipal attorney for his or her significant and distinguished mentoring achievements related to young attorneys and their practice in the field of municipal law.
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Scholarships to Attend IMLA
Art L. Pertile, III Memorial Scholarship
In Art’s honor, TCAA will provide one scholarship to a TCAA active member to attend an IMLA Annual Conference. The scholarship recipient will receive a reimbursement of up to $2,500 for expenses that the recipient’s city or law firm would have otherwise provided for attendance at the conference, including registration, travel, meals, and lodging at the conference hotel.
Susan C. Rocha Memorial Scholarship
In Susan’s memory, TCAA will provide four scholarships to in-house city or assistant city attorneys to the 2025 IMLA Annual Conference. Two will be from the eight largest cities (Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, or San Antonio), and two will be from the remaining cities