UT System 26th Legal Conference

MCLE Credit: 
*NOTE: CLE Credits are still pending approval by MCLE committee of the State Bar of Texas.
*The CLE hours for this conference are SELF-REPORTED to the State Bar.

All times shown are Central Daylight Saving Time.

 

Thursday, September 17, 2026

7:30 - 8:45 am Breakfast 
8:45 - 9:00 am 
Session 1 - Welcome  (Capital Ballroom)
Daniel H. Sharphorn, Vice Chancellor & General Counsel, UT System   
9:00 - 
10:00 am 
(1.00 CLE credit*)
Session 2 - Beyond Constitutional Autonomy: Four Prodigal Lawyers Return with Lessons from Life After 78701 (and 78249)  (Capital Ballroom)

Omar Syed, General Counsel, Rice University (Former Deputy GC & Managing Attorney OGC General Law, UT System
Tamra English, General Counsel, Univ. of Northern Colorado (Former Managing Attorney, OGC General Law, UT System)
Jason King, General Counsel, Hofstra University (Former UTSA Chief Legal Officer & Chief Compliance Officer, UT System)
John Danner, General Counsel, Central Michigan University (Former Interim UTSA Chief Legal Officer)

10:00 -
10:45 am 
(0.75 CLE credit*)
Session 3 - Linking the Chains: In-House Counsel and Enterprise Risk Management  (Capital Ballroom)
Kathy Carlson, J.D., LL.M., CCEP, Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer, UT System
10:45 -11:45 am
(1.00 CLE credit*)
Session 4 - Is The Sky Falling? Cybersecurity in 2027 and Beyond (Capital Ballroom)
George Finney, J.D., Chief Information Security Officer, UT System
11:45 am - 1:00 pm
 
Lunch
1:00 - 2:00 pm
(1.0 CLE credit*)
Session 5 - Two Courts: One Conversation   (Capital Ballroom)
The Honorable Priscilla Richmond, Fifth Circuit Judge
The Honorable Nathan Hecht, Former Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court
Moderator: Kristi Godden, Associate General Counsel, OGC General Law, UT System 
2:00 - 3:00 pm 
(1.0 CLE credit; 0.50 ethics credit*)
Session 6 - Wanna Bet? What Texans Should Know About Betting  (Capital Ballroom)
Bob Latham, Partner, Jackson Walker, LLP, Dallas, TX
3:00 - 3:15 pmBreak
3:15 - 4:00 pm
(0.75 CLE credit*)
Session 7A - Because Title IX Has Opinions About Your Athletic Budget   (Capital Ballroom)

Damon Derrick, Chief Legal Officer, Stephen F. Austin State University - UT System
Marlayna M. Ellis, Assistant Attorney General, General Litigation Division, Austin, TX

3:15 - 4:00 pm 
(0.75 CLE credit*)
Session 7B - Hospital Regulatory Update: Provider-Based Compliance, 340B, and Other Hot Topics   (Assembly Room)
Gregory N. Etzel, Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Houston, TX
4:15 - 5:00 pm 
(.75 CLE credit*)


 
Session 8 - Texas Higher Ed Jeopardy (UT v. Texas A&M v. Texas State)  (Capital Ballroom)

Host: Lee Roy Calderon, Assistant General Counsel, OGC General Law, UT System

The University of Texas System Contestant:
Marc Vockell, Asst. Vice Chancellor & Managing Counsel, OGC Business Law

Texas A&M University System Contestant:
Elinore T. Tecson, Assistant General Counsel

Texas State University System Contestant:
Emily Ardolino, Associate General Counsel

5:15pm

Happy Hour & Dinner at BOA Steakhouse
300 West 6th Street, #100, Austin 78701

Have a wonderful evening.

Friday, September 18, 2026

7:45 -  8:45 am Breakfast 
9:00 - 
10:00 am 
(1.0 CLE credit*)
Session 9 - GLD and UT System: Working Together to Get the Win  (Capital Ballroom)
Kim Gdula, Chief, General Litigation Division, Office of the Attorney General
Paige Barnett, Asst. Vice Chancellor & Managing Counsel, General Law, OGC, UT System
Laura Barbour, Chief Legal Officer, UTRGV
Shelby Boseman, Chief Legal Officer, UT Arlington
10:00 -
11:00 am 
(1.00 CLE credit; 0.50 ethics credit*)
Session 10 - Bystanders and Enablers: The Need for Accountability (Capital Ballroom)
Amos Guiora, Professor, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, Director of the Bystander Initiative
11:00 -
11:45 am 
(0.75 CLE credit*)
Session 11 - The Puzzle of Justice-Seeking in the Constitution(Capital Ballroom) 
Lawrence Sager, Professor, Alice Jane Drysdale Sheffield Regents Chair in Law, UT School of Law
11:45am - 1:00pmLunch
1:00 - 2:00 pm
(1.00 CLE credit*)
Session 12 - In Conversation with Coach Mack Brown   (Capital Ballroom)
Coach Mack Brown, Former UT Austin Head Football Coach
Moderator: Sean Flammer, Associate General Counsel, OGC General Law, UT System
 


Thank you for coming. Safe travels.