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Caitlin
Booker Elected as Shareholder
We’re
thrilled to let everyone know that Caitlin Booker has been elected as
our newest Shareholder.
Caitlin,
who has been part of the RMWBH family since 2016, is a vital attorney
on our litigation team and assists our clients through complex
insurance and direct hire litigation matters. Prior to RMWBH, Caitlin
interned at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit under Judge
Jennifer Walker Elrod. A Texas Bar Fellow, Caitlin also belongs to the
Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum - one of the most prestigious
groups of trial lawyers in the United States - where fewer than one
percent of U.S. lawyers are members. She is currently a board member
for the Booker Family Foundation and the John Cooper Alumni
Association. Caitlin’s track record is impressive, and her leadership
will be an asset to our litigation section.
As
a Shareholder, Caitlin will continue to work closely with Greg Godkin,
Gregg Weinberg, Rick Anderson, and the rest of the litigation team to
ensure client service standards are upheld in the RMWBH tradition. It
is well known that our attorneys pride themselves on exceeding the
client service industry standards, and that is why RMWBH continues to
thrive.
Congratulations
go out to Caitlin, but RMWBH is the clear winner here.
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RMWBH Welcomes Erren Chen as Senior Counsel
We are proud to announce Erren Chen has joined the firm
as Senior Counsel in our Litigation Section. Erren will be working
closely with Equity Shareholders Greg Godkin and Dustin Fessler to
assist clients in civil litigation matters.
Erren follows one of the hallmarks of RMWBH in giving
back to his community through education. In his time away from the
firm, Erren serves as an Adjunct Professor of Advocacy at South Texas
College of Law and Adjunct Professor of Paralegal Studies at Lone Star
College.
Welcome to RMWBH Erren!
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February 2021 Legislative Update
By Paul Gaines
The
87th session of the Texas Legislature is now underway. On
January 12, 2021, the Texas House and Senate officially convened. New
members were sworn in, and as per tradition, the House began the
session by electing a new speaker – Dade Phelan (R) from Beaumont. Almost
as quickly as proceedings began, they ended with both chambers
adjourning for two weeks until January 26th in an effort to
minimize activity at the Capitol due to the ongoing pandemic.
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A
Conversation on Reserve Studies
As
we look ahead to our upcoming webinar on reserve studies in which Marc
Markel leads a discussion featuring industry experts, we want to offer
a preview of what you will hear during this special event. We sat down
with Marc, Elon Goldman of Association Reserves and David Yancy of
Criterium Yancy to discuss aspects of reserves studies all associations
need to know.
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Can
POAs Follow the Airlines and Ban Emotional Support Animals?
By
Clayton Hearn and Ashley Koirtyohann
Login
to any social media website and you will likely see images and memes
from airports, restaurants, stores and a variety of other locations of
people being accompanied by a menagerie of different animals.
Alligators, peacocks, monkeys and more are often claimed as an
emotional support animal (ESA). As a result, the issue of ESAs has
become a hot-button topic for many businesses and organizations across
the country and property owners’ associations (POA) are not immune.
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Pool Management and Maintenance Services
By Marc Markel and Lisa Gambrell
Spring
is almost here and in Texas that means higher temperatures and the
opening of community pools is right around the corner. Before pool
season gets into full swing, property owners associations (POA) should
be reviewing their Pool Management and Maintenance Master Services
Agreement (Pool MSA) to ensure it addresses the level of risk
associated with operating a pool. In this article, we will review
several of the items POA managers and board members should look for in
the Pool MSA regarding insurance.
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The Fair Housing Act and Emotional Support Animals
Over
the last several years the use of emotional support animals has become
a hot-button issue in the U.S. Just recently, the TSA began allowing
the major U.S. air carriers to begin placing restrictions on these
animals. With the misuse of reasonable accommodation requests becoming
more prevalent, can POAs begin taking similar action?
Join
Equity Shareholder Clayton Hearn and Associate Ashley Koirtyohann as
they address the actions POAs can take against emotional support
animals. During the webinar, they will discuss the laws governing
emotional support animals, the actions POAs can take and offer tips
managers and board members should keep in mind when receiving requests
for emotional support animals.
Thursday, February 11, 2021
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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Reserve Studies: What You Need to Know
The
reserve study is a factor of POA management with many misconceptions on
what it is, what it says and what benefits it provides. Join Founding
Shareholder Marc Markel as he leads a discussion with Elon Goldman,
President, Association Reserves Texas, and David Yancy, President,
Criterium Yancy, to clear up the misconceptions on reserve studies.
During
this hour-long webinar, Marc, Elon and David will detail what a reserve
study is and what it isn’t. They will go into detail on the benefits it
provides an association and why every association should have one. They
will also define the different levels of funding for associations and
share examples from their experiences on communities at these different
funding levels.
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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Chapter
82 Condominiums Transition from Developer Control to Owner Control
In
a previous webinar, we spotlighted the transition process of
single-family associations from developer control to owner control.
Now, our attention turns to Chapter 82 condominiums.
Join
Sipra Boyd as she explains the board transition process, what managers
and board members need to understand about the process and potential
impacts the process may have on the community.
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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