Lisa Mares

Lisa D. Mares

Associate Attorney

Practice Areas

  • Municipal Law
  • Economic Development Corporations
  • Local Government Corporations
  • Special Districts

Practice Description

Lisa has extensive experience on providing legal services to cities, economic development corporations, affordable housing development corporations, and special districts. Lisa’s practice areas include development agreements using tax increment subsidies, bond funds, tax abatements, federal grant funds, and tax credits, as well as procurement, intellectual property, contracts, leases, ordinances, conflicts of interest, open meetings, and board management. Lisa has represented cities and other political subdivisions on administrative law, investigations, compliance, environmental, data privacy and security, records retention, law enforcement, emergency response, and election law matters.

Prior to joining Messer Fort, Lisa served as Section Chief, Economic and Community Development Section of the General Counsel Division, City of Dallas, an adjunct for the Community Development and Entrepreneurship Law Clinics of the Texas A&M University School of Law, and corporate counsel for a publicly traded company, as well as advised cities and other political subdivisions across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Lisa has presented and written articles on various topics, such as affordable housing, open records, data privacy, elections, and small business matters. During law school, Lisa interned for the Charlotte City Attorney’s Office, the North Carolina State Board of Elections, and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Prior to law school, Lisa worked as an assistant campaign manager on a congressional campaign, an assistant committee clerk for the Texas House Committee on Jurisprudence, and an elections coordinator with the Travis County Clerk.

Education

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, J.D., 2006
  • Duke University, M.P.P., 2006
  • University of Texas at Austin, B.S. Sociology, 1999
  • American University, Washington Semester Program (American Politics), 1998

Licensure

  • Texas State Bar, 2009
  • North Carolina State Bar (Inactive, legible for active status), 2007

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Texas City Attorneys Association
  • Dallas Bar Association
  • Camp Fire Texas, Immediate Past Board Chair
  • Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Fort Worth Chapter
  • Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court, Associate (2011-2013)
  • Leadership Fort Worth, Leading Edge, Class of 2013

Speaking and Writing Examples

  • “Status of Government MWBE Programs Post-Supreme Court Decisions in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina” – Advanced Government Law – July 2024
  • Use of Federal Funding in Affordable Housing: Pitfalls and Best Practices – U.S. Affordable Housing Conference – May 2024
  • Establishing a Conditional Driver Permit in Texas, 24 SCHOLAR 385 (2023) (with Taylor Garner, Crystal Hernández, and Luz Herrera)
  • What’s Your Game Plan Against a Ransomware Attack? – Texas Police Chiefs Association – November 2019
  • “Creating Innovation-Friendly Environments for Entrepreneurs and Startups” – International Municipal Lawyers Association – October 2018
  • “Privacy and Data Security Issues Facing Cities” – Texas City Attorneys Association – June 2016
  • The Open Meetings Act and Other Information You Need to Know – American Planning Association of North Texas, FOCUS North Texas Planning Symposium – January 2016
  • Ethical Considerations when Dealing with Local Governmental Bodies – Flower Mound Bar Association – April 2015
  • Texas Public Information Act: Fact or Fiction? – North Texas Municipal Clerks Association Chapter Meeting – September 2012
  • Conducting a Special Election – Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program Election Law Seminar – January 2012
  • Pre-clearance Submissions to the U.S. Department of Justice – Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program Election Law Seminar – January 2012
  • Elections: Overview of Legislative Changes Affecting City Elections – Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program Legislative Update Seminar – August 2011
  • Panelist, Senate Bill 100 Panel [impacting municipal election dates] – Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program Legislative Update Seminar – August 2011
  • “How Much Will that Substandard Building Demolition Really Cost You?” – Texas City Attorneys Association – October 2010