2026 Poverty Law Conference: Full Schedule

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1:00pm CDT

Stop Settling: Practical Trial Preparation for Poverty Law Litigators

Wednesday September 2, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Trial preparation can be one of the most stressful phases of poverty law litigation, particularly for newer attorneys. This program provides practical, step-by-step guidance on managing electronic files, organizing evidence, preparing a trial notebook, making discovery work for your case, and appearing before the judge. The presentation will also address methods for reducing the last-minute anxiety that often accompanies trial preparation. Attendees will leave with concrete systems and workflows they can immediately implement in their own practices.

Speakers

Dana Karni

Litigation Director, Lone Star Legal Aid

Leesa Everitt

Staff Attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid

Leesa Everitt, a native Houstonian, is a staff attorney at Lone Star Legal Aid in the Housing & Consumer Unit. Over the past decade she has handled a variety of civil legal matters, but her focus has been housing and landlord-tenant work. Her law degree is from the University of Houston... Read More →

Patricia Tsai

Wednesday September 2, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Grand Salons AB

Housing and Consumer

2:15pm CDT

Unseen Liens and Rent-to-NEVER-Own: Property Code Protections for Texas Homebuyers

Wednesday September 2, 2026 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT

Grand Salons AB

Strong Texas laws protect people purchasing a home under a “contract for deed” or “rent-to-own” contract. The Texas Property Code calls these contracts “executory contracts for conveyance of real property”, and unless the seller follows this strict law ("Subchapter D"), the buyer is entitled to a variety of damages, including additional protections under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Speakers

John Grieger

Managing Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

John Grieger has 34 years of bankruptcy law experience. A graduate of Northwestern University (BA-Spanish) and the University of San Diego School of Law, John returned to his native Chicago after law school and worked as a staff attorney for the Chapter 13 Trustee. After that... Read More →

Wednesday September 2, 2026 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT
Grand Salons AB

Housing and Consumer

3:30pm CDT

SB 38 So Far

Wednesday September 2, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT

Grand Salons AB

This session will examine how eviction practice has changed in the eight months since SB 38 and its accompanying revisions to the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure took effect. We will discuss novel defenses to eviction under the new law and rules, as well as active and planned constitutional challenges, explaining how they have played out in thousands of cases before the twenty-six different Justices of the Peace in the state's two largest counties. The goal is an interactive session in which both presenters and participants share their experiences to improve our collective advocacy on behalf of Texas tenants.

Speakers