To: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
From: County Counsel
Meeting Date: October 8, 2024
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Department Contact: |
Charlotte Scott |
Phone: |
707-234-6885 |
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Item Type: Consent Agenda |
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Time Allocated for Item: N/A |
Agenda Title:
title
Approval of Legal Services Agreement with Porter Scott, A Professional Corporation, for a Total of $200,000, to Provide Advice and Representation Regarding Municipal Liability and Litigation, Effective Upon Execution through June 30, 2027
End
Recommended Action/Motion:
recommendation
Approve Legal Services Agreement with Porter Scott, A Professional Corporation, for a total of $200,000, to provide advice and representation regarding municipal liability and litigation, effective upon execution through June 30, 2027; and authorize Chair to sign same.
End
Previous Board/Board Committee Actions:
None.
Summary of Request:
County Counsel provides legal representation, advice and counsel to the County, its governing Board of Supervisors, County Departments, various special districts, and other public agencies, as mandated and authorized by California statutes and local ordinances. From time to time, the County has retained various outside law firms to represent the County in a variety of legal matters to provide specialized legal services and to defend and represent the County in complex litigation. The County is currently in need of litigation defense services with respect to one or more recently filed actions and Porter Scott, A Professional Corporation (Firm) will be assigned cases or claims based upon their proven legal ability and specific expertise with public entity representation.
The Firm is experienced in a wide variety of municipal legal services and has the ability to draw upon a variety of specialists. They have extensive background and can provide specialized services and expertise, advice, and representation in several areas of law for the County as needed. The Firm comes highly recommended by several public agencies in the State of California as well as individuals experienced in risk assessments and defense of public entities.
The Agreement proposed is a fee for service contract with no minimum amount of work guaranteed to the firm. The law firm will only be assigned work pursuant to the contract if County Counsel determines the demands of the particular case exceed the capacity of in-house counsel and if the affected department or agency has the budget for (or will seek a budget amendment in the future) for the services. The Agreement also contains a termination clause that allows the County to terminate the agreement at any time. County Counsel and Risk will monitor and approve the law firm’s legal representation in all aspects. All legal services invoices will be reviewed by Risk for payment.
Alternative Action/Motion:
Provide direction to staff.
Strategic Plan Priority Designation: An Effective County Government
Supervisorial District: All
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supplemental Information Available Online At: N/A
Fiscal Details:
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source of funding: GL-863320 |
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current f/y cost: $50,000 |
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budget clarification: N/A |
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annual recurring cost: $150,000 |
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budgeted in current f/y (if no, please describe): Yes |
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revenue agreement: No |
AGREEMENT/RESOLUTION/ORDINANCE APPROVED BY COUNTY COUNSEL: Yes
CEO Liaison: Executive Office
CEO Review: Yes
CEO Comments:
FOR COB USE ONLY
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Executed By: Atlas Pearson, Senior Deputy Clerk |
Final Status: Approved |
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Date: October 8, 2024 |
Executed Item Type: Agreement |
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Number: 24-177 |
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