Space City Houston

Attend this fast-paced, 45-minute Tech Tip session where you’ll discover a variety of essential technology tools and websites that can enhance your efficiency and effectiveness in the legal field. We’ll also explore resources to streamline your daily workflow. Whether you’re navigating legal databases, or staying updated on industry trends and laws, this seminar will provide you with actionable tips to stay ahead in the ever-evolving legal landscape.

Examples:

• Accessing articles beyond the paywall
• Reviewing revisions on Google Scholar
• Using ChatGPT for short announcements
• Aligning objects in PPT slides
• Accessing Global Investigative Journalism Network
• Finding information via international financial institutions

Barbara Fullerton has been in the information professional field for almost 30 years, with experience in vendor relations, and corporate and law libraries. She is currently a Supervisor for the Research Services team at Dentons law firm. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications, a paralegal certificate, and an MLIS from Emporia State University in Kansas. She has been in the Dallas, Texas area for over 20 years, and is an active member in AALL and other regional librarian and information professional organizations. She has been a regular speaker in the information industry, including AALL and SLA meetings, AIIP, regional meetings, Internet Librarian, Computers in Libraries, SCIP, Texas Library Association and regional paralegal associations. Her speaking and writing topics include gadgets, websites, mobile apps, privacy issues, data mining, and cybertheft.

To some of us, AI seems like a mysterious black hole deep in space. How does the system find the answer to your question? How do we know if the answer is relevant or accurate? In this 45 minute discussion, find out about the latest AI legislation during the past year. Also, go behind the scenes with a fellow law librarian to the world of regulatory and compliance software and find out about her firsthand experience in the development of an AI Assistant.

Debra Jobes is a graduate of the Syracuse University iSchool with a MLIS / Database Management Certification. She is also a member of AALL and local chapter, Houston Area Law Librarians (HALL), where she has served as Member-at-Large and Treasurer since 2019. With past experience as a Legal Assistant and Paralegal, Debra has worked as a Law Librarian in the Legal Research department of Regology for the past 3 years. She is responsible for curating topical law libraries within various industries and tracking current legislation using causal citations. Working with customers to develop a “smart library”, Debra also ensures the correct metadata flows into each unique environment within the database. She has also worked closely with the engineering team to develop an AI Assistant by providing feedback and analysis of legal questions. Among the many responsibilities of a law librarian, education and training are also important to this position. As a former certified educator, Debra supports the marketing and product department by assisting with demos and providing customer user training. 

Presenting online is now a normal part of our work experience in academia, whether as recorded videos or livestreams. Many of the “best practices” or tips & tricks for improving the quality of the video experience apply to both recorded and “live” presentations – good lighting, camera deployment, mic/audio, readability of text on slides, use of AI images, and “chunking” of topics or information to avoid exhausting the viewers or participants.  I will discuss low-budget ways to improve the visual and audio experience for the audience, keep their attention, and boost engagement. 

Check out his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@professorstevenson 

Videos for Professional Responsibility, Administrative Law, Statutory Interpretation & Regulation (Leg-Reg), & Law & Economics. Use the playlists – the playlists sort the videos by course & subject.

TBD

Cherie O. Taylor teaches International Business Transactions, Transactional Skills (International Business), World Trading Systems, NAFTA: Trade and Transactions, International Civil Litigation, European Union Law and Civil Procedure. She has published widely in the field of international economic law with an emphasis on regionalism, WTO/GATT law and dispute settlement and U.S. trade policy, in articles which have been published by the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Economic Law, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law and the Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business. Professor Taylor serves as the founder/advisor to CURRENTS: International Trade Law Journal at South Texas College of Law Houston. She earned her A.B. at Harvard-Radcliffe and her J.D. at the University of Georgia where she served as a Notes Editor on the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and was admitted to the Order of the Coif. While in practice Professor Taylor also earned her LL.M at Georgetown University Law Center.

Steven Wood is a U.S. patent attorney and space lawyer. He currently serves as Senior of Counsel with the Vela Wood Law Firm, in Austin, TX, and Senior Director of Neuromorphic Technology Development with the SUNY Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering. Steven focuses his VW legal practice on investment IP due diligence, building client in-house patent filing capabilities using AI patent tools, and IP strategies and transactions. In his SUNY role, Steven coordinates research efforts with the Air Force Research Labs funded NeuroPipes neuromorphic computing research group. Steven has held prior roles as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Albany Law School, a patent examiner at the United States Patent & Trademark Office, and in technology transfer at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Leiden University, and most recently at The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (SUNY) as Associate Director for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Steven also previously held several positions with startup companies, including XCOR Aerospace, and as Co-Founder of ‘trakkies. International BV’, a Dutch Internet of Things startup company incubated at the European Space Agency Business Incubation Center in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. Throughout his career, Steven has honed his expertise across space law, patents and IP, including protection and valuation, startups and entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, licensing and other technology-centered partnerships and transactions, Bayh-Dole compliance for inventions supported by federal grants and contracts, such as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) awards.

The Houston Ship Channel complex and its more than 200 public and private terminals, collectively known as the Port of Houston, is the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage and home to the largest petrochemical complex in the U.S. The Port of Houston has an economic impact of $802 billion nationally and supports 1.35M jobs in Texas and 3.2M jobs nationwide.

Rebecca Andrews has served as Assistant General Counsel to the Port of Houston Authority, known as Port Houston, since March 2024. Prior to joining Port Houston, Andrews advised port authorities, economic development corporations, and other public agencies and businesses in Texas and on the east and west coasts as a partner at her law firm. In addition to general counsel work, Andrews’ practice focuses on strategic project development and environmental compliance.

Andrews founded and served as president of the Houston Area Municipal Attorneys Association for six years and is the former chair of the Environment and Health Section of the International Municipal Lawyers Association and former editor of the Environmental, Energy & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter. Andrews is a member of the bar in Texas and California.

This presentation will explore Houston’s growing influence as global leader in international law, arbitration, and dispute resolution.  Highlighting Houston’s strategic location, diverse legal talent, and robust legal infrastructure, the session will showcase how Texas serves as a vital gateway for resolving complex cross-border disputes and advancing international arbitration standards.

Business immigration addresses labor shortages, fosters innovation, and attracts substantial capital investments to the U.S. economy. Employment-based visas and investment options, such as the H-1B, L-1, and EB-5 programs, enable companies to hire skilled foreign workers and investors.  However, U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, which aim to reduce immigrant labor, could exacerbate labor shortages, stifle innovation, and decrease capital flow. Sang M. Shin, of Jackson Walker, will discuss how these policies may lead to higher costs for businesses and consumers, and potentially diminish the U.S.’s competitive edge in the global economy.

An experienced business immigration attorney, Sang M. Shin provides creative legal counsel to companies, individuals, investors, and institutions throughout the U.S. and internationally. He has broad experience managing employment-based immigration cases for nonimmigrant and immigrant visas, and immigration planning and compliance programs for entities engaged in a wide range of industries, including energy, engineering, healthcare institutions, construction, financial services and banking, agriculture, architecture, technology, entertainment, food service, hospitality, retail, education, export and import, and other sectors.

Sang frequently works with international companies entering the U.S. market for the first time, helping them navigate the ever-changing U.S. legal landscape. Utilizing his broad network, Sang ensures a seamless market entry for his clients by making sure they are connected within their respective industries and are well-equipped to thrive long-term in the U.S. Sang is Chambers-recognized and named among The Best Lawyers in America (2021-2025) for immigration law and as a Rising Start with Super Lawyers.  

This talk will cover the four pillars of what makes the American oil and gas industry great: plentiful resources, the private ownership of minerals, respect for contract and property law, and access to capital. With Texas as the No. 1 producer of hydrocarbons in the nation, Texas and Houston will sit at center stage.

Evan is responsible for advising her client on international commodity trade and shipping. She provides legal guidance on oil, petroleum products and LNG globally – with a focus on imports and exports in the Americas.

Port Houston is the largest export port in the US and is a leading gateway for international trade. As such, this general discussion will provide insight into the import and export processes and the flow of commodities into and out of Houston (and the Gulf of Mexico). Additionally, the program will discuss the legal regimes that would be applicable, an overview of Incoterms, bills of lading, and charterparty liability (in particular pollution liability).

Agenda:

• General Intro to the Shipping Industry
• Maritime and Shipping Law
• Charter’s Liability

From the end of the Civil War in 1865 into the 20th century, Houston struggled to balance its identity as a growing industrial metropolis with its southern racial mores. Although city leaders assured the US Army that stationing Black troops in Houston to guard construction of Camp Logan would not be an issue, the troops were met with discrimination and police brutality. This tension between progressive ideals and racial animus became a powder keg ready to ignite.

Ms. Zimmermann also is a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, currently serving as the Reserve Chief Defense Counsel of the Marine Corps, responsible for advising the active-duty CDC and training and mentoring all active duty and Reserve defense counsel in the Marine Corps. After receiving her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1992, she served on active duty in various legal positions, including Trial Counsel (prosecutor), Chief of Review, and Chief of Civil Law at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. In addition to her current job as a Reservist, some of her other roles have been appellate military judge on the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, military trial judge, and Reserve Chief Trial Counsel of the Marine Corps.

Heather Kushnerick joined South Texas College of Law Houston in 2008 as the Special Collections Librarian. She previously worked in museums and taught history at several community colleges in north Texas. Heather develops and oversees the Library’s rare books collection, manuscript collections, digital collections, and the College archive. In addition, she is part of the reference staff and conducts legal research workshops. She is a Certified Archivist.

LGBTQ+ history was made in 2003 at the United States Supreme Court based on a Houston case that started at the Justice of the Peace Court in Harris County, Texas. After fighting HIV & AIDS discrimination for 15 years, Mitchell Avila Katine and New York’s Lambda Legal were hired to defend two men who were arrested and jailed for having sex in their home. The case was ultimately won at the United States Supreme Court and laid the groundwork for marriage equality throughout the United States.