MEET YOUR DISTINGUISHED FACULTY

Program Co-Chairs

Stephen I. Adler practices eminent domain
law. He is a past chair of the Eminent Domain
Committee of the Real Property Section of the
American Bar Association and is a frequent
lecturer and author on the litigation of takings
cases. He has co-chaired CLE International
Eminent Domain Conferences for seven years.

Kimberli D. Loessin practices exclusively in the
areas of eminent domain, inverse condemnation
and regulatory takings. She previously served as
in-house counsel to Exxon Mobil Corporation. She
has been with her firm since 2006 and currently
manages its Houston office. She is a regular
speaker on eminent domain matters.

Featured Presenters

Lisa Blue has been named one of the Top 50
Women Litigators in the U.S. by the National Law
Journal and is an expert in jury selection. She has
been asked to serve as a commentator covering
high-profile trials for Court TV and is a frequent
author on jury issues.

Robert B. Hirschhorn is a nationally recognized
expert in jury and trial consultation. He is a
co-author of Blue’s Guide to Jury Selection. He
appears frequently on national news programs
and is a frequent speaker on the art of jury
selection.

Jacqueline Lucci Smith was elected to the
Harris County Civil Court-at-Law Number 2 in
2006 and currently serves as the Presiding Judge
of the Harris County Civil Courts-at-Law. Judge
Smith spent five years in private practice, focusing
on civil appellate law. She began working at the
Harris County Attorney’s office in 1998. She then
went to work for Paul Bettencourt in 2001 at the
Harris County Tax Office, where she served as
Director and Counsel.

Faculty

Anikka Ayala-Rogers oversees public outreach activities including governmental affairs, media relations, and grass roots marketing efforts for the approximately $4.6 billion 290 Corridor improvement project. She has been with her Department for five years and has directed public relations campaigns for over $6 billion in highway infrastructure programs; has served on several oversight committees including TxDOT’s Strategic Planning Committee and the 2030 Committee; and currently serves as Co-Chair of TxDOT’s Special Provisions Task Force.

Wayne B. Baer has been in the real estate valuation and consultation profession since 1986. He has provided expert testimony in complex real estate litigation, including eminent domain and damage related matters, throughout Texas. He is a State Certified Real Estate Appraiser and Licensed Real Estate Broker in Texas.

Peter S. Boecher has more than 29 years of urban planning experience.  For nearly 20 years, he has analyzed impacts of eminent domain on a wide variety of properties, working for both the public and private sector.  His work also focuses on detailed site planning, vehicular access analysis, zoning and preliminary subdivision platting.  He presently serves on the City of Bellaire Planning and Zoning Commission as well as their Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee.

Matthew C. Deal specializes in valuation and counseling for public and private sector clients for virtually every property type. He is qualified as a testifying expert in civil, county, district and federal courts; and he has testified before the state legislature. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Houston Chapter of the Appraisal Institute for a total of six years.

David R. Dominy serves as the Managing Director for the Houston office of Integra Realty Resources.  His firm focuses on valuation and consulting services for various types of real property, with an emphasis on investment grade real estate.

James S. Frost is qualified to address both ethics and eminent domain law. He has been active for many years in the lawyer disciplinary system, including nine years as a member, vice-chair, and chair of the Board of Disciplinary Appeals, appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas.  He also maintains an active condemnation practice in Seguin, Texas, representing primarily condemning authorities.

Stephen A. Hrncir is responsible for the consultant team overseeing the program management, financial planning, public outreach, preliminary engineering, final design, ROW mapping, acquisition, and utility coordination for the 290 Corridor Program. He currently serves as the Vice President Technical on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Civil Engineers, Texas Section.

Todd A. Mason has more than 20 years of real estate experience. He has an extensive background in corporate real estate, handling both brokerage and consulting services for institutional, corporate and large national companies. He is the current Chairman of the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE).

Bruce D. Mosier focuses on real estate law, including eminent domain.  As a representative for condemnors, he organized the Eminent Domain Division of the Harris County Attorney`s Office and served as its first Division Chief. One the condemnee side, he represented interests of landowners, lienholders, mineral owners, lessees and others for more than 20 years.

Margaret A. Pollard has represented landowners in eminent domain litigation for 24 years. She has tried condemnation cases in multiple counties throughout Texas and has represented landowners in numerous mediations and appeals through the Supreme Court of Texas. Her practice also includes ad valorem tax litigation, commercial and consumer litigation and civil appeals.

Paul Radich counsels governmental entities regarding litigation challenges that occur in the public sector. He has extensive experience in eminent domain matters and represents both condemning authorities and property owners.

Michael J. Schless has limited his practice to alternative dispute resolution since 1992. He is a past Chair of the ADR Section of the State Bar of Texas and has held every leadership position in that organization over a period of six years. He previously served as a trial lawyer in Austin and as a County Court at Law Judge.

Teresa Schneider has practiced commercial litigation with her firm since 1990, handling a wide variety of matters ranging from antitrust to trademark disputes. She is formerly the chair of her firm’s Diversity Committee and was the past chair of the Pro Bono Committee for her firm.

Joseph O. Slovacek has 34 years of practice, during which he has engaged in a general business practice encompassing real estate, corporate law and commercial litigation. He presently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Public Affairs Chairman of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.

Glenn Sodd focuses on eminent domain litigation throughout Texas and also handles complex oil and gas, farm and ranch, and business litigation. He was named one of the top three general trial lawyers in Texas by Town & Country Magazine.

Reid C. Wilson focuses on commercial real estate, banking and lending, and land use. He is Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a frequent author on all aspects of real estate and negotiating leases.

Michael Zientek joined the US 290 program team in May 2007 and heads stakeholder involvement.  As such, he is responsible for total project knowledge, website updates, and public involvement archiving. He has 15 years of experience as a television

      news reporter.