We are pleased to announce that C. Robert “Bob” Heath, a partner and co-founder of the Firm, has been named to the 2025 Texas Super Lawyers list, marking his nineteenth year of recognition. Each year, no more than five percent of lawyers in Texas are selected for this honor.

Super Lawyers is a rating service that features attorneys across a variety of practice areas and firm sizes. Selection is based on a patented multiphase process that combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research. Candidates are assessed on 12 indicators of professional achievement and recognition, with selections made annually on a state-by-state basis. For more information, visit SuperLawyers.com.

About Bob Heath

Bob Heath has practiced law for more than 50 years and has extensive experience in complex governmental law and litigation matters involving open government, elections, voting rights, and redistricting. A recognized authority on election law and voting rights, he is regularly invited to speak on these topics at events throughout the United States. Prior to co-founding the Firm in 1980, Bob served as Chair of the Opinion Committee of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.

Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta is pleased to announce that seven of the firm’s attorneys have been included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

Recognition by Best Lawyers® is based entirely on peer review surveys designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical region and practice area.

Below are the BHDA attorneys listed in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Philip B. Arnold – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law

Cobby A. Caputo – Litigation-Municipal

Douglas G. Caroom – Water Law

Bill Dugat – Water Law

C. Robert Heath – Administrative/Regulatory Law

Emily W. Rogers – Water Law

Gunnar P. Seaquist – Litigation-Labor and Employment

BHDA attorney Lori Robinson will present “Getting Personal with the PIA: Request for Personnel Records” at the Texas City Attorneys Association Summer Conference on June 18, 2025. Her session will provide practical guidance on responding to personnel records requests under the Texas Public Information Act, including key exceptions, allowable redactions, compliance, and how to balance transparency with employee privacy—an essential topic for municipal attorneys.

The annual conference, which attracts hundreds of attendees each year, provides educational programming created specifically for municipal lawyers. This year’s event will be held June 18-20, 2025, in Horseshoe Bay. For more details, visit the conference website.

About Lori Robinson

Lori Robinson works extensively on Public Information Act matters for a variety of governmental entities including municipalities. She also has a background in school and employment law that extends to Title VI, Title VII and Title IX claims, grievances, FMLA, the ADA process, student discipline, student and employee rights, and all aspects of general counseling related to higher educational institutions.

BHDA partner Philip B. Arnold was a speaker at the 67th Annual County Auditors Institute, an educational program hosted by the V.G. Young Institute of County Government featuring presentations from industry professionals from across the state.

In his presentation, Philip provided a detailed overview of the Texas County Purchasing Act, including statutory requirements, common exemptions, procedural guidelines affecting county procurement practices, and the penalties for noncompliance. As part of his presentation, Philip also shared a paper he authored on the Texas County Purchasing Act with conference attendees.

About Philip Arnold
Philip represents local governments and public entities throughout Texas in litigation and as general counsel, advising on matters such as contracts and procurement, eminent domain, open government compliance, and legal issues unique to counties and municipalities.

BHDA partners Emily Willms Rogers and Stefanie P. Albright will present at the Texas Water Association’s (TWA) 2025 Annual Convention, which will be held March 5-7 in Austin.

Stefanie will participate in the Case Law Update panel discussion during the speaker sessions on Thursday afternoon, March 6.  Before those sessions, Emily, chair of the TWA Board’s Navigation and Flood Control Panel, will present a case law update on Bonin v. Sabine River Authority of Texas during a meeting of the Panel’s members.

Please visit the TWA website for more information on this year’s program.

About Our Speakers

Emily Willms Rogers practices in the areas of water and environmental law. From permitting to transactional matters, she represents cities, river authorities, and water districts in matters involving surface and groundwater water rights, water and wastewater utility matters, water issues, and industrial and municipal solid waste disposal. She has served as the firm’s managing partner since 2018 and also leads the firm’s water practice group.

Stefanie P. Albright represents municipalities, water districts, water supply corporations, and regional authorities with matters involving environmental permitting, compliance, and enforcement; water quality; water and wastewater utilities; and water rights. She also provides general counsel services and advises clients on open government issues, real estate and construction transactions, competitive bidding, ethics, and governmental immunity.

BHDA partner Philip B. Arnold was a speaker at the 67^th Annual School for County Commissioners Courts, a program of the V.G. Young Institute of County Government. The multi-day conference, designed for county commissioners and judges, featured educational sessions on a range of issues affecting Texas counties.

Mr. Arnold’s presentation, “Texas Interlocal Cooperation Agreements,” covered the essential requirements of agreements between governmental entities and provided an overview on regulating subdivisions in a city’s ETJ.

In addition to interlocal agreements, this year’s program agenda included topics related to judicial ethics, emergency management, and groundwater supply, to name a few. The full agenda and more can be found on the Texas Association of Counties website.

About Philip Arnold         

Philip Arnold focuses his practice on representing local governments throughout Texas in litigation and general counsel matters. He works with clients on various issues affecting governmental entities, including contracts and agreements, eminent domain, open government compliance, elections, civil rights defense, employment, and redistricting. Mr. Arnold is a frequent speaker at government law seminars and programs statewide.

On December 23, 2024, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of the district court’s preliminary injunction (Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. v. Garland, No. 24-40792 (5th Cir. 2024)) that temporarily reinstated compliance requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act. However, three days later, on December 26, 2024, a separate panel of judges from the same Court issued an order vacating the stay of the preliminary injunction granted on December 23. As a result, reporting companies are not currently required to file Beneficial Ownership Information Reports with FinCEN and are not subject to liability if they fail to do so while the order remains in place.

Over the course of this month, there have been multiple rulings by the courts regarding compliance requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act. We are closely monitoring this situation and will share updates on our Corporate Transparency Act webpage as new details become available. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how this recent ruling affects your company, please contact Catherine Than or Hector Delgado.

The Texas Water Association (formerly Texas Water Conservation Association) Board of Directors has elected Emily W. Rogers, the firm’s managing partner and water law attorney, as its next President-elect. Ms. Rogers will assume the duties of this position in June 2025, when the board’s presidential roles transition. The TWA is a nonprofit policy association focusing on water supply and management. From drought to flood, it works with its members to address the state’s greatest water needs.

Ms. Rogers is a long-time member of the TWA. She has served on the board of directors since 2017 and currently chairs the Navigation and Flood Control Panel, one of seven panels that make up the organization’s board. She was also chair of the Water Law Committee and served on the planning committee for multiple water law seminars sponsored by the TWA. In recognition of her leadership and dedication to the organization, Ms. Rogers was honored with the President’s Award in 2017.

Ms. Rogers practices in the areas of water and environmental law. From permitting to transactional matters, she represents cities, river authorities, and water districts in matters involving surface and groundwater water rights, water and wastewater utility matters, water issues, and industrial and municipal solid waste disposal. In addition, she leads the firm’s water practice group and has served as its managing partner since 2018.

BHDA founding partner C. Robert Heath has been named to the 2024 Texas Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of lawyers in the state are selected to receive this honor. Mr. Heath has been included in the list since 2007.

Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice area. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.

About Bob Heath

Bob Heath has practiced law for more than 50 years. He has significant experience in complex governmental law and litigation matters, including open government, elections law, voting rights, and redistricting. He has spoken and presented papers on election law and voting rights throughout the United States. Before co-founding the Firm in 1980, Bob served as Chair of the Opinion Committee of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.

BHDA is pleased to announce the recognition of seven attorneys in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

• Philip B. Arnold – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law (2024-2025)
• Cobby A. Caputo – Litigation-Municipal (2024-2025)
• Douglas G. Caroom – Water Law (2007-2025)
• Bill Dugat – Water Law (2024-2025)
• C. Robert Heath – Administrative/Regulatory Law (2022-2025)
• Emily W. Rogers – Water Law (2024-2025)
• Gunnar P. Seaquist – Litigation-Labor and Employment (2024-2025)

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Selection is based entirely on peer review surveys from thousands of attorneys who evaluate the legal abilities of other lawyers within the same geographical area and legal practice area. Lawyers are not required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a significant honor.