The Hospitality Law Conference: Houston 2026 (Presented by HospitalityLawyer.com)

Marco D. Flores grew up in South Texas, shaped by family values that instilled in him a deep commitment to helping others whenever the opportunity arises. He began his legal career in 2000, joining a firm in Dallas, Texas, where he represented major corporations — including Exxon Mobil, in high-stakes complex litigation across the country, eventually chairing the litigation sections for two large corporate clients. In 2014, he and his family returned to South Texas, and he redirected his practice toward leveling the playing field between property owners and large insurance companies. Today, Marco focuses on representing homeowners, small businesses, and commercial property owners who are not receiving fair treatment from their insurers, helping them navigate the claims process to recover the benefits they are owed. He and his team have consulted on over 10,000 insurance claim disputes involving homes, school districts, condominium complexes, apartments, hotels, shopping centers, and industrial complexes. With more than 20 years of experience representing individuals, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies, Marco brings a uniquely balanced perspective, having advocated for both plaintiffs and defendants, to every case he handles, from initial evaluation through jury trial.

David Parker is the President and Founder of DPC Hospitality, bringing more than 30 years of experience in the hotel industry, including over 25 years in hotel consulting and development. Prior to forming DP Consulting in 2001, Parker spent nearly a decade at PKF Consulting (now CBRE Hotels), where he developed methodologies for collecting market information on hotels and meeting facilities, and built multiple modeling techniques for projecting utilization, income, and expense. In addition to his consulting practice, Parker is an experienced real estate developer who has completed numerous ground-up projects spanning residential, retail, and hospitality uses, bringing a developer’s perspective to complex consulting engagements alongside the polish of a national firm.

Jerrod Allen is a partner at Allen Bryson Lamar, PLLC, a Texas law firm with offices in Dallas and Longview. A trial lawyer with twenty years of experience in and out of the courtroom, he represents both businesses and individuals in trial, arbitration, and mediation matters throughout Texas and beyond, with a focus on oil and gas and business-related matters. After spending the first seven years of his career litigating at some of Texas’s most prestigious law firms, Jerrod relocated to Longview in 2009 and founded West Allen Law Firm, PC. He later partnered with Brent Bryson for eight years before the two formed Allen Bryson Lamar, PLLC. His representative matters span oilfield collections, products liability, construction litigation, wrongful death defense, and civil rights claims, among others.

Hector Medina is a Managing Director at Ankura, based in Houston, who specializes in hospitality and leisure related projects. With 19 years of combined hospitality and real estate experience across the U.S., Latin America, and Caribbean, he brings significant advisory experience in the areas of hotel market and feasibility studies, hotel operation diagnostics, market and operations due diligence, and interim asset management. He has served numerous clients, including government entities, multinational financial institutions, law firms, domestic and international developers, lodging operators, and private investors.

Manuel Bremont is a Managing Director and leads the Hospitality & Leisure Group at Ankura, based in Dallas, Texas. He brings over 20 years of experience in real estate, hospitality, tourism, and other leisure products across the U.S., Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. His advisory expertise spans market and feasibility analysis, strategic planning, performance improvement, operational diagnostics, interim and asset management, due diligence, restructuring, litigation support, and mergers and acquisitions. Throughout his career, he has advised public entities, multinational development companies, financial institutions, private equity firms, law firms, and international lodging companies. Prior to joining Ankura, he served as a senior director at a global professional services firm and previously spent four years working in hotel operations in Houston. Manuel joined Ankura alongside Senior Director Hector Medina to bolster the firm’s hospitality and leisure capabilities.

With nearly 25 years as a practicing attorney, both as in-house counsel for public and private companies and in private practice at a full-service international law firm, Jennifer Nellany combines deep experience in real estate matters with practical corporate knowledge. She assists clients with drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements, structuring debt and equity transactions including M&A transactions and joint ventures, advising on corporate governance matters, drafting compliance materials, and advising on domestic and cross-border legal and regulatory issues. She has extensive experience providing legal advice on hospitality-related matters, both as in-house counsel and in private practice.

Jason A. Kron is the Executive Vice President of Business Development, working extensively with Legal 1031 Exchange Services, a subsidiary of Kensington Vanguard. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Jason brings over two decades of experience in the title industry and has focused on expanding Legal 1031’s presence through strategic partnerships and tailored client services. His background includes leading business development efforts at BridgeTrust Title, which was acquired by Kensington Vanguard in March 2022, and owning a regional title insurance agency. In his current role, Jason is dedicated to driving Legal 1031’s growth and enhancing its reputation as a trusted advisor in the 1031 exchange industry.

Daniel H. Lesser has more than forty years of specialized experience worldwide in hospitality-related real estate appraisals, economic feasibility evaluations, investment counseling, asset management, receivership, and transactional services spanning hotels, resorts, conference centers, casinos, mixed-use facilities, spa and wellness properties, and timeshare and fractional ownership properties. Offering a 360-degree, cross-functional, and multi-disciplinary lodging industry perspective, he serves as a third-party advisor and independent expert witness, neutral arbitrator, business model canvasser, asset manager, property and business receiver, and as a principal investor, borrower, guarantor, and franchisee. Prior to his hospitality advisory career, Mr. Lesser held operational and administrative positions with Hilton Hotels Corporation and Eurotels-Switzerland.

John Keeling is primarily responsible for sourcing and vetting both hotel acquisitions and hotel development projects for Valencia Hotel Group, and also participates on the firm’s Executive Committee. He brings more than 30 years of experience in hotel management, asset management, brokerage, appraisal, development consulting, and strategic planning to Valencia. A noted lecturer, teacher, author, and authority on hotel matters, he is frequently sourced by respected industry trades, business journals, and newspapers. Previous positions included Senior Vice President of PKF Consulting, Partner with Laventhol & Horwath, and Manager with Marriott International. He served as an infantry squad leader with the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam, where he earned the Purple Heart and Navy Commendation with Combat “V.”

Jonathan Falik is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of JF Capital Advisors, where he leads the firm’s hospitality business, including equity and debt placement, asset acquisitions and dispositions, portfolio transactions, JV structuring, asset management, management company and brand evaluation, and strategic and capital markets advisory services. He has over 25 years of experience in the real estate and lodging sector and has worked on numerous M&A and financing transactions involving well over 2,000 hotels and over $30 billion of transaction value, $29 billion completed as an advisor and $1 billion as a principal. He has extensive hospitality experience as an agent, advisor, principal, owner, borrower, guarantor, franchisee, lender, and asset manager.

Valerie Norris concentrates her practice on complex insurance litigation in both state and federal courts, representing clients in fatality litigation, including wrongful death, survivorship, premises liability, gross negligence, vicarious liability, and negligent entrustment. She also represents corporate clients in both first- and third-party matters involving premises liability, intentional tort, and auto injury. With more than a decade in practice, including seven years as in-house counsel with major national insurers and three years as an Assistant District Attorney in the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office, Valerie brings broad experience that also encompasses general civil litigation, family law, and criminal law.

Jordan B. Schwartz is a Labor & Employment Partner in the Washington, DC office of Conn Maciel Carey LLP. He advises employers on a wide range of complex employment-related issues, with a practice that spans employer defense litigation, regulatory compliance, and day-to-day employment counseling. Jordan defends companies against claims of discrimination and harassment, misappropriation of trade secrets, and wage and hour violations, and represents property owners and managers in lawsuits alleging lack of accessibility under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He practices across a range of industries, with extensive expertise in the hospitality, club, retail, healthcare, and government contracting sectors. Prior to joining Conn Maciel Carey, Jordan worked at Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. and Kaye Scholer LLP.

Justin R. Bragiel is the General Counsel and Legislative Director for the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association (THLA), the largest state lodging association in the United States, serving over 5,000 member businesses by providing operational, technical, educational, marketing, and communications services, in addition to governmental affairs representation. Based in Austin, Texas, Justin joined THLA in February 2008 and has since become the association’s primary legal voice and legislative strategist. He directs THLA’s legal team and governmental affairs team, manages THLA’s lobbyist contractors, and assists the CEO in the operations of THLA as a nonprofit trade association, including budgeting, governance, and employee management. He handles a broad range of legal and legislative issues on behalf of Texas hoteliers, and is a regular public speaker before local governments, conferences, and legislative bodies.

Andria Ryan is a partner in the Atlanta office of Fisher Phillips and serves as co-chair of the firm’s Hospitality Industry Group. She represents employers throughout the United States in virtually every area of employment and labor law, including defending employment discrimination and harassment cases and handling traditional labor matters such as unfair labor practices and union campaigns. She received the Anthony G. Marshall Hospitality Award for her pioneering and lasting contributions to the field of hospitality law. She spends much of her time counseling employers on day-to-day employment and labor decisions and educating employers about prevention and practical solutions to workplace problems, and is a frequent speaker to industry groups and human resources professionals on topics including harassment prevention, maintaining a union-free workplace, avoiding discrimination claims, proper interviewing, and effective discipline and discharge techniques.

Elizabeth DeConti serves as a trusted advisor to clients in the ever-evolving alcohol beverage and food sectors. For more than 25 years, she has helped clients navigate all aspects of alcohol beverage and food law regulation, licensing, compliance, and promotion. Representing clients in front of state and federal courts and administrative agencies, her expertise is centered on the rules, regulations, trends, and business best practices governing the marketing, sale, and consumption of malt beverages, wine, distilled spirits, and other regulated products. Her clients include major alcohol suppliers, wholesalers, national chain retailers, marketing companies, and other members of the hospitality industry. A worldly and seasoned advisor, Elizabeth is fluent in French and Italian and advises European clients on international and domestic matters.

Colby Birkes is a Managing Associate in Dentons’ Corporate group, where he assists companies and other business entities from their conception, with particular focus on drafting and reviewing documents, aiding in corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and mergers and acquisitions. He has significant experience in the franchise context, frequently helping franchisees negotiate Franchise Agreements, comply with regulatory schemes, and structure project finance. His transactional work spans industries including hospitality, real estate, manufacturing, distilling, and technology, and has included the acquisition of a Courtyard by Marriott hotel involving franchise matters, liquor license transfers, private capital raises, and lender negotiations, as well as a carve-out sale transaction valued at US$177 million involving a global reorganization of 21 entities across 12 countries.

Lars Daniel is a recognized thought leader and digital forensics pioneer with more than 16 years of expertise transforming how the legal and insurance industries understand and utilize digital evidence. Consistently at the forefront of emerging technologies, from early mobile device forensics to artificial intelligence and Internet of Things challenges, he has trained thousands of legal and insurance professionals, testified dozens of times in state and federal courts across the United States and internationally, and contributed extensively to industry education as a Forbes Contributor and keynote speaker.

Amanda K. Monroe is a Partner and Labor and Employment Practice Group Leader at Michelman & Robinson, LLP, based in Los Angeles. Her practice centers on representing employers in resolving workplace disputes and minimizing litigation risk, with a focus on defending management against wage and hour claims, class actions, PAGA cases, and allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She also handles administrative matters before the California Labor Commissioner, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In addition to her litigation work, Monroe advises employers on compliance, investigations, hiring and terminations, including mass layoffs under the WARN Act, wage audits, and workforce reductions. Before entering private practice, she clerked for a federal judge and subsequently built her litigation skills at both global and boutique law firms.

Karen L. Morris is a lawyer, judge, and Distinguished Professor of Law at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, a position she has held since 1980. She is the first community college professor to receive the designation of Distinguished Professor from the State University of New York. As Brighton Town Justice, a role she has held since 1994, Morris presides over criminal and civil cases, including lawsuits brought by and against hotels and restaurants. Before beginning her teaching career, she served as in-house counsel for a corporation that operates department stores throughout the United States and thereafter worked as a criminal prosecutor. She is widely recognized across the hospitality industry as a leading authority on hotel, restaurant, and travel law, and pens the column “Legally Speaking” for Hotel Management Magazine.

Diana S. Barber is a lawyer, speaker, consultant, educator, author, and litigation support provider to hospitality companies nationwide. A native of Miami, Florida, she began her legal career as an associate attorney at King & Spalding in Atlanta after graduating cum laude from Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. She then spent more than fourteen years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC, serving as Vice President and Associate General Counsel. Since 2003, Barber has taught at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, and since 2004 has taught hospitality law to hospitality college students. She currently serves as Of Counsel with Berman Fink Van Horn P.C. in Atlanta, which also serves as general counsel to the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association.