HOUSTON PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION

An Affiliate of NALA - The Paralegal Association

For more information on Galveston Island contact the Galveston Island ConvGention & Visitors Bureau at 866-505-4456 or visit www.meetgalveston.com

Friday, April 24, 2020 Galveston Island Convention CenterGalveston, Texas

Take time awrom the office to focus This advanced, full-day conference is taught by attorneys or professionals in the legal industry and is specifically designed for paralegals and other legal professionals. Conference fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, post-event social, and course materials. WiFi in the convention center is complimentary.

NALA has approved for 6.0 CLE hours, including 1.0 Ethics hour

**CLE Approval pending from TBLS**

2020 HPA Advanced CLE Conference

CONFERENCE AGENDA

7:30 – 9:30 Registration (Pre-function Area - 1st Floor)

7:30 – 3:30 Exhibitors Hall Open (Pre-function Area - 1st Floor)

8:00 – 10:00 Continental Breakfast (Pre-function Area - 1st Floor)

8:30 - 8:40 Welcome from HPA President and General Announcements

8:40 – 9:40 Tax Problems of the Rich and FamousLance Stodghill, Esq., Stodghill & Allie, PC,

9:40 – 10:00 Mid-Morning Break (Pre-function Area - 1st Floor)

Track 1 Track 210:00 - 11:00

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly:Construction Provisions that can make or break your Construction-Defect Lawsuit Francis McWilliams, Esq. West Mermis LLP

Developing Analytical Skills for Paralegals(including study tips for NALA Skills J&A Exam)Linda A. Carrette, ACP, TBLS-BCP Montye Holmes, ACP, TBLS-BCP Instructors, HPA CP Exam Study Group

11:00 – Noon

Evidence in IP Litigation CasesKyle Friesen, Esq. Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP Houston, TX

Legal Writing for Paralegals (including study tips for

NALA Skills Communications Exam) Linda A. Carrette, ACP, TBLS-BCP Montye Holmes, ACP, TBLS-BCP Instructors, HPA CP Exam Study Group

Noon – 1:00 Luncheon (Pre-function Area - 2nd Floor) - Menu: Taco Bar

1:00 – 2:00 Seven Deadly Sins when Representing Immigrant Juveniles Robert Hinojosa, Esq. Hinojosa & Salinas PLLC

Preparing for Trial for Paralegals (including Appeals)

H. Gray Burks, Esq.Shapiro Schwartz LLP

2:00 – 3:00 Bankruptcy Litigation - Prepping the case, the client, and the lawyer Michael Durrschmidt, Esq. Hirsch & Westheimer, PC

Changes to the Motion to Dismiss Procedure inTexas April L. Farris, Esq. Yetter Coleman

3:00 – 3:20 Mid-Afternoon Break (Pre-function Area - 1st Floor) Menu: Ice Cream Social

3:20 – 4:20 A Primer on UPL: What Every Paralegal Needs to Know About the Unauthorized Practice of LawJeff Jansen, Esq. and Tamika Harris, Esq.Chairs of the Houston Subcommittee of the State Bar of Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law, Galleria Panel and Downtown Panel

4:20 - 4:30 Bingo Grand Prize Winners Announced (must be present to win)

4:30 - 6:30 Seaside Social (Hilton Galveston Island Resort – Lobby Bar and Poolside)

RESERVE YOUR ROOM EARLY - Hotel Accommodations

Hotel rooms have been blocked for our event at Hilton Galveston Island Resort, which is adjacent to the Convention Center. The room rate is $149 on Thursday and Friday night for a single/double room, if booked by April 3, 2020. Hilton Galveston Island Resort will not honor these rates after that date. Complimentary Wi-Fi in your room is included. A charge will appear on the room invoice, but it will be credited upon check-out. Your stay is eligible for Hilton Honor Points. Complimentary parking is located behind the hotel. To reserve a room, please call the hotel at 877-425-4753 or reserve on-line using the code below.

For directions and reservations, please visit https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/texas/hilton-galveston-island-resort-

GLSGIHF/index.html. The group code is HPA.

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When: Thursday, April 23, 2020 Place: Crystal C Ballroom

Hilton Galveston Island Resort Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Registration Form

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, April 17, 2020

REGISTRATION FEES: EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION: deadline: April 3, 2020

$100 for HPA members $85 for HPA members

$135 for non-members $120 for non-members

$ 60 for students

A late fee of $15 will be assessed on all forms post-marked after April 17, 2020. Walk-ins the morning of the Seminar will be accepted upon payment

of late fees, providing space and materials are available. Your registration fee includes course materials in electronic format (including speaker

biographies and hand-outs), continental breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and entry to Thursday’s Aloha Social and Friday’s Sunset Social.

Name _

Preferred Name on Name Badge: (ex: Jane Doe, ACP)______________________________________________________

Firm/School _

Address _

City, State, Zip _

Email Phone _________________________

Job Title: _____________________________________________________________

I plan to attend _____________ Thursday’s Aloha Social

I plan to attend _____________ Friday’s Seaside Social

.

TO REGISTER, make your check payable to: Houston Paralegal Association and mail a completed registration form and payment to: Gina

Holder, Treasurer, Houston Paralegal Association, P. O. Box 2466, Houston, TX 77252 Or pay online by credit card, at www.hpa.wildapricot.org.

For questions, contact HPA at hpa.admin@hpatx.org.

Mail Registration Deadline: April 17, 2020. All registration forms post-marked after April 17, 2020, will incur a $15 late registration fee.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY: Registrants who find that they cannot attend and would like a refund must send their request in writing

before April 20, 2020. Tuition fee refunds (less $45 lunch/refreshment fee) are granted, if received in writing by April 20, 2020. Please email your

requests to hpa.admin@hpatx.org.

CLE HOURS: NALA has approved for 6.0 CLE hours, including 1.0 Ethics hour. CLE Approval pending from TBLS.

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Parking Information provided is subject to change and does not guarantee available space. Self-parking is available in the conference center garage located behind the convention center. Valet parking is available next door, at the Hilton Galveston Island Resort.

Downloadable Course Materials will be emailed to Attendees.

Meet Our Speakers H. Gray Burks, IV is managing senior litigation attorney at Shapiro Schwartz LLP; board certified in Business Bankruptcy and Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the American Board of Certification in Business Bankruptcy & Consumer Bankruptcy Law, he holds memberships in the American Bankruptcy Institute, National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, Texas Inns of Court, Fifth Circuit Bar Association, and the College of the State Bar of Texas.

Linda Carrette has over 35 years of experience; currently employed as a senior paralegal with Copeland & Rice LLP, she’s held many roles in her career including project manager, legal recruiter, firm administrator, management consultant, practice support manager, and paralegal education faculty member. She achieved board specialization in Civil Trial Law through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1996 and completed her ACP in both Electronic Discovery and Trial Practice in 2016.

Michael J. Durrschmidt is a shareholder with Hirsch & Westheimer, PC and has been Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1990. Practicing primarily in the areas of creditors’ rights, he represents lenders, suppliers, landlords, and lessors in cases related to work-outs, debt restructures. He was recognized as a Houston “Top Lawyer” by H Texas Magazine in 2008, 2014-2016 and named a “Super Lawyer” in the area of Bankruptcy and Workouts for the years 2014-2019.

April Farris represents clients in high-stakes contract disputes, business torts, Texas Citizens Participation Act (TCPA) procedure, and government-law issues. Her court experience spans the Fifth Circuit, the Sixth Circuit, and Texas courts of appeals and she has served as an Assistant Solicitor General for the State of Texas. A prolific public speaker, she has given more than ten presentations on TCPA practice and currently serves as President of The Federalist Society Houston Lawyers Chapter.

Kyle E. Friesen focuses his practice on intellectual property law, with an emphasis on litigating patent disputes. He has represented clients in district courts and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in cases involving a wide range of technologies that include chemicals, medical devices, semiconductors, financial services and consumer electronics and has represented clients before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Tamika Harris has served as chairwoman of the Houston Downtown Panel of District 4 of the Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee for the past 3 years and the District 4 Subcommittee of the UPL Committee since 2015. With 20 years of civil trial and appellate experience, she has litigated a diverse panoply of cases involving business disputes, deceptive trade practices, contractual disputes, property tax matters, and guardianships.

Roberto Hinojosa is a shareholder in Hinojosa & Salinas, PLLC practicing in the areas of juvenile law, family, immigration, criminal, and probate. A graduate of the Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law and member of the State Bar of Texas since 2004, his practice has also included taxation and civil and criminal appellate law.

Jeff Jansen is the founding member of the Jansen Law Firm, PLLC. Since 2015 he has served as the Chairman of District 4 (Harris County) of the Unauthorized Practice of Law ("UPL") Committee appointed by the Texas Supreme Court, which is responsible for investigating and enforcing the State Bar Act. Harris County is the largest Texas, generating the largest number of complaints and investigations of alleged UPL. Jeff has more than 20 years of experience as a business and trial attorney.

Houston Paralegal Association sincerely thanks the outstanding legal support companies for sponsoring and exhibiting at our conference. We are grateful to them for contributing to the continued success of our annual conference. We invite you to visit with all sponsors/exhibitors in our exhibit hall for a chance to win door prizes.

InServio3

Kim Tindall & Associates

Team Legal

Infinity Reporting Group

Texas Investigative Network

File & ServeXpress

Pennebaker Legal

Esquire Deposition Solutions

US Legal Support

Liberty Litigation Support

Law & Order Record Retrieval

CT Corporation

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For information on Houston Paralegal Association, please visit our website at www.hpa.wildapricot.org.

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BE THE FIRST TO LEARN OF VITAL DEVELOPMENTS AND POTENTIAL CHANGES IN YOUR PRACTICE AREA

MAKE THE CONNECTIONS YOU NEED WITH FELLOW PARALEGALS AND LEGAL VENDORS

TAKE TIME AWAY FROM THE OFFICE TO FOCUS ON CLE WITHOUT OFFICE INTERRUPTION

GAIN INSIGHT FROM FACE TO FACE Q&A WITH COURSE

FACULTY

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE:

Montye Holmes, ACP, TBLS-BCP - Course Director

Mary Shiloh, TBLS-BCP Sharon Jones, ACP Ruth Conley, ACP

Linda Carrette, ACP, TBLS-BCP Phillip Webb

LaKeisha Simmons CP

Gina Holder, Exhibitor Chair