Welcome!
My name is Ellyn Josef and I am Pro Bono Counsel at Vinson & Elkins, one of the participating law firms in today’s event. We are so thrilled you are all here – here to build on what you have worked so hard to produce. We are here to make Houston’s small business community stronger and more vibrant. Vinson & Elkins has partnered with the City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity, along with the Association of Pro Bono Counsel, Texas C-Bar, pro bono net, and countless other community organizations to bring you this program. I want to give a special thanks to the City of Houston for being so open and welcoming of our idea, and for being a wonderful co-organizer in this event. The Office of Business Opportunity, introduced to my by Councilwoman Ellen Cohen, has been a tireless supporter of this event, and of the success of all of your businesses. Thank you a million times over.
While you are all the experts in your businesses, we are here to tackle some of the legal issues that often arise to make your jobs harder – let’s make your job easier!
Before we get started, I want to run through today’s agenda. First of all, for those who haven’t had a chance to grab something, there are some breakfast treats out for you in the Atrium.
After our welcome this morning, we will launch into legal learning. The first workshop – Managing Liability, will be presented by Andrea Harrington, a staff attorney at Texas C-Bar. She will go through several topics, including choosing the right business structure. Following the first workshop, you will have an opportunity, if you so choose, to have a one-on-one session with one of Houston’s top legal minds. Each of those sessions will be approximately 20 minutes. Those sessions will take place in Emilie Slohm – the 6th floor of the library. Starting at 11am, there will be lunch available in the Atrium, and then at noon, starts the second workshop – Employment Issues, presented by D’Ann Johnson, also of Texas C-Bar. Throughout the day, please feel free to visit the tables in the Atrium, where many of our non-legal partners will be happy to discuss any services their organizations can provide your business.
And now, let’s get started:
It is my pleasure to introduce our Mayor – Annise Parker. Mayor Parker is Houston’s 61st mayor and one of only two women to hold the City’s highest elected office. As the City's chief executive officer, she is responsible for all aspects of the general management of the City and for enforcement of all laws and ordinances. Parker has spent many years in service to the people of Houston, with six years as a City Council member and six years as City Controller. She is the only person in Houston history to hold the offices of council member, controller and mayor.
Fast Company magazine selected Houston as City of the Year for 2011 and in 2010, Time magazine named Mayor Parker one the 100 most influential people in the world. She has also been the recipient of numerous awards during her career, including the 2011 Guardian of the Bay Award from the Galveston Bay Foundation, Scenic Houston’s 2010 Scenic Visionary Award and the 2010 Guardian of the Human Spirit Award from the Holocaust Museum Houston. And most recently, Mayor Parker won seventh place in the annual World Mayor Prizeorganized by the City Mayors Foundation,an international think tank dedicated to promoting good, open and honest local government. She is an incredible leader for our City, a fabulous role model for ours and other leaders, and is one of my personal heroes: MAYOR PARKER
Our first workshop will be led by Andrea Beleno Harrington –
Hailing from Houston, Texas, Andrea Beleno Harrington is an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid's Legal Assistance to Microenterprises Project (LAMP). She obtained her A.B. cum laude at Harvard University in 1998, and her J.D. at the University of Texas School of Law in 2003. She has been an attorney at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid since 2003. In her work for LAMP, Andrea has traveled throughout Texas RioGrande Legal Aid's service area to present on legal issues relevant to entrepreneurs and to microenterprise practitioners. She also provides direct legal representation to microentrepreneurs for transactional matters, as well as facilitating the referral of cases appropriate for pro bono representation.
Now that the first workshop is complete, you are welcome to now head up to the 6th floor of the library for individual legal consultations or you are welcome to spend time at the provider tables in the Atrium. Lunch will be available starting at 11am.
Our last workshop will be led by D’Ann Johnson –
D'Ann has more than twenty years of legal experience in the areas of nonprofit management, banking policy, and the development of legal resources and training programs. An honors graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, D'Ann's prior work experience includes serving as legal counsel to state and local governmental entities and a nonprofit membership association of attorneys. She is a graduate of Leadership America, a Friar, and a founding board member of a pro bono legal program for immigrants. D'Ann is responsible for coordinating C-BAR's work with community-based nonprofits in rural communities. She also oversees the development of our on-line resource center and legal workshops.