Rose Hargrave
Partner
Rose focuses her practice on transactional law with a concentration on real estate, land development, corporate, and governmental matters. She draws on her experience as an elected official, business owner, and in-house counsel to help clients achieve their business and land development needs.
With a lifelong emphasis on public service, Rose has clerked in the Texas supreme court for criminal matters, assisted in the creation of the Texas Criminal Justice Integrity Unit, and served a 12-year run as an elected official in Sunset Valley—ten of those years as the Mayor where she was the chief officer for the public works and police department and responsible for filing the City’s annual budget. She can maneuver local government and instinctively knows how to communicate with public officials, city staff, and stakeholders. She’s also led land development work as in-house counsel for a design-build architecture firm that managed turn-key land development projects.
Prior to joining DBC, Rose owned a boutique law firm for a decade that focused on assisting companies navigate and improve their: internal operations, governance, human resources, investor needs, regulatory applications, compliance, and due diligence reviews. Her role was to provide efficiencies and cost-appropriate solutions that larger firms were not agile enough to provide. She hails from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas which she credits for her passion and drive in all things community and advocacy based. She completed her undergraduate degree in Valparaiso, Chile and worked in international education prior to law school.
Rose represents:
• Land Developers and stakeholders with zoning, use and entitlement needs
• C-suite and organization leaders for operational efficiencies
• Landlords and tenants with commercial leases
• Architects, contractors and owners with transactional needs
• Corporations with general counsel needs
When not working, Rose serves to conserve land, improve water quality and quantity, and build trail systems as a Board member of Hill Country Conservancy. She loves on her daughters and standard poodles when at home, and lives for a good horse adventure.
J.D., St. Mary’s University School of Law
B.A., Southwestern University
Rose is currently committed to her work with Hill Country Conservancy to implement land conservation, trail building, and sustainable urban development that increases access and connection to green space. This commitment evolved during her six-terms as an elected official in Sunset Valley, a key property link to the Violet Crown Trail system. Rose’s volunteer work links government, new development and the growing need for community access to quality greenspace and water.
• Hill Country Conservancy
– Board Member, 2021-Current
— Chair, Governance Committee
— Secretary, Executive Committee
— Member, Land Acquisition Committee
– Advocate and volunteer, 2009-2020
• City of Sunset Valley, Texas
– Mayor, 2012-2020
– Mayor Pro Tem, 2011–2012
– City Council Member, 2009–2012
– Budget and Finance Committee, 2021-2022
– Chair, Public Safety Committee, 2012-2013
– Chair, Planning & Environmental Committee, 2009-2011
1. Land Use –
a. Zoning & Entitlement
b. Public-Private-Partnerships
c. Site-plan review
d. Use Dispute
e. Retail Real Estate (land use, lease negotiation, owner/landlord issues)
f. Municipal/Neighborhood Regulations
g. Economic Development Incentives
h. Future Land Use Map revision process
i. Water quality & Storm water management
j. HOT funds and other tax-base utilization for land development, public safety, and water quality.
2. Corporate/Transactional –
a. Contracts
b. General Counsel
c. Operational Management
d. Human Resources
e. Staff Development
f. Corporate Crisis Management
g. Corporate Wind-up
3. Public Law –
a. Legislative Review
b. Work for and with the: Police Chief’s Association; TAPEIT (Texas Association of Property and Evidence Inventory Technicians); and TCJIU (Texas Criminal Justice Integrity Unit)
c. Code and Policy Drafting
d. Municipal Operations
e. Open Meetings Act
f. Solid Waste, Utilities, and Emergency Service Management
g. Cost-of-Service Implementation
h. Fire Protection Contracts/Negotiation
i. Public-Private-Partnerships
j. Municipal Tax Review and Implementation
i. Crime Control Prevention District
ii. Hotel Occupancy
iii. Special Project (“venue tax”)
k. Trail & Greenspace – Conservation Easements; Trail Entitlement-Construction-Maintenance.
l. Dark Skies Cities, Tree City, reduced emissions (AISD bus program), and pilot city for curbside composting programs-implantation through community/city advocacy
4. Other Skills and Legal Work –
a. Public Speaking
b. Meeting Management
c. Immigration: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA/Dreamers); Citizenship (N-400); Family-based Green Card; and pro bono.