Houston Chapter Members who attend will receive an Uber Eats link for lunch! 

10:30 am - 11:30 am – Texas Lien Law After the 87^th Texas Legislative Session

Presenter: Angela Conner, Peckar  & Abramson

This year, the 87^th Texas Legislature passed legislation that included the first substantive changes to the Texas Mechanic’s Lien statute since 2003.  The changes, which are effective for original contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2022, created a new class of mechanic’s lien claimants, and overhauled the notice and lien filing requirements for subcontractors to perfect their mechanic’s lien claims, among other things. 

Following this presentation, the attendees will be aware of the following changes:

• Subcontractor monthly notice requirements
• Mandatory form of notice required for subcontractors
• New deadlines for filing mechanic’s lien affidavits
• New deadline to foreclose mechanic’s liens on commercial projects
• Elimination of general contractor’s obligation to provide the owner written objection of a subcontractor’s claim
• Changes to statutory conditional and unconditional lien waivers

CPE Credit Offered: 1 Hour

Field of Study: Business Law

Advance Preparation Needed: None

Course Level: Basic

11:30 am - 12:30 pm - Tax Issues Impacting Texas Construction Companies & How to Protect Your Business

Presenters: JP Vogel and Isreal Miller, Gray Reed

This presentation will cover Texas tax issues for construction companies, including sales and franchise tax. The presentation also includes contractual considerations related to tax issues so companies can protect themselves from tax liabilities.

Learning objectives:

• Familiarize participants with the Texas Comptroller’s rules on real property services.
• Review the Comptroller’s audit procedures.
• Explain how contracts can be utilized to help manage tax risk.

CPE Credit Offered: 1 Hour

Field of Study: Taxation

Advance Preparation Needed: None

Course Level: Basic

Angela Connor, Partner in Peckar & Abramson’s Houston office, focuses her practice on construction litigation, dispute resolution and contract negotiation. Known for her sound and practical legal advice, she routinely finds creative solutions to meet her clients’ business needs. She is also involved in the drafting and reviewing of contract documents and regularly performs contract risk assessment and risk management for a range of construction projects. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University, and her law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston.

J.P. Vogel, Partner, the leader of Gray Reed’s Construction Practice Group, focuses on brainstorming new ways for clients to seize opportunities and overcome challenges. J.P. and his deep bench of construction lawyer are there guiding his construction clients and protecting them every step of the way. J.P. has been very successful taking a professional, no-nonsense approach to solving problems that streamlines the process and helps remove emotion and unnecessary conflict from the equation. He is recognized as a though leader and has received many accolades in the construction law arena.

Isreal Miller, Counsel, the leader of Gray Reed’s State and Local Tax Practice Group, is a tax attorney focused on advising clients in state and local taxation matters and resolving related audits and litigation, primarily involving Texas sales and use tax, franchise tax and ad valorem taxes. He also routinely handles requests for penalty abatements, innocent spouse relief, and installment agreements with the Internal Revenue Service. Before joining Gray Reed, Isreal served for five years as a trial attorney for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, where he personally handled over 1,700 cases, including over 850 cases litigated at the State Office of Administrative Hearings.