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APPROVE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT FOR LEGAL SERVICES WITH THE FIRM OF HERUM/CRABTREE/SUNTAG
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving an Agreement for Legal Services with Herum/Crabtree/Suntag.
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Summary
Herum/Crabtree/Suntag brings a unique combination of experience in the field of complex civil liability litigation and civil rights litigation that is needed to handle certain reoccurring activities as the need arises.
DISCUSSION
Background
The City needs to hire outside counsel from time to time to handle special, complex legal matters, including complex civil liability and civil rights litigation matters. Section 1306 of the City Charter authorizes the Office of the City Attorney to retain or employ outside counsel with the approval of the City Council.
Present Situation
Since the City’s exit from bankruptcy the litigation caseload of the City Attorney’s Office has continued to expand in both volume and complexity. The City has a particular need for the ready availability of experienced outside counsel that specialize in complex civil litigation and civil rights litigation matters and in particular attorneys that are familiar with our local courts. The firm of Herum/Crabtree/Suntag is experienced and proficient in handling these matters and their related issues. The City will benefit from having this firm available to assist with these issues on an as needed basis. The firm’s hourly rates and other fees are reasonable and competitive as compared with other firms of its size and areas of expertise. It is expected that the City will primarily work with Dana Suntag, a partner in the firm, whose practice emphasizes complex civil litigation work.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Legal services will be billed on a project basis pursuant to the rates set forth in the Agreement. The fees will generally be paid through the Risk budget, because the matters will involve civil liability. For matters that are not related to civil liability payment will come either from the legal services budget of the City Attorney or from the relevant department budget.