City attorneys say outside counsel used sparingly; ethics code sets pay rules
Chiefs said outside counsel is engaged for conflicts, jurisdictional licensing or special expertise; most outside-fee expenses are paid from the risk management fund, not the city attorney's office budget.
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Jennifer Hugard and other division leaders told the committee the most common reason to hire outside counsel is a conflict of interest in civil-rights cases; Hugard noted the city's ethics code requires outside counsel representing a respondent in an ethics claim to be paid at a market-based rate determined by the regional bar. "In those civil rights cases... we can't then represent that officer in the civil lawsuit. So we have to engage outside counsel," Hugard said.
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