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Trustees review candidates to serve as special counsel for superintendent employment negotiations; no final hire recorded
Summary
Board discussion on April 2 examined five law firms proposed to represent the trustees in negotiating an employment agreement with the district’s selected superintendent. Candidates committed to an expedited timeline; hourly rates ranged from $260 to $500 and trustees discussed conflicts, availability and estimated total hours.
The Clark County School District Board of Trustees opened discussion April 2 on hiring special board counsel to negotiate an employment agreement with the district’s selected superintendent. The board did not record a final hire in the transcript excerpt.
John Okazaki, general counsel for the district, presented five candidate firms: Guerin Law Group (attorney Lisa Zastrow, $260/hour), Hutchinson & Steffson (six attorneys proposed, rates vary), Littler (Wendy Quincek, $400/hour), Parker Nelson and Associates (Mister Parker, $450/hour) and Howard & Howard (Mister Edelbluth, $500/hour). Okazaki said he sought from each candidate a named attorney, an hourly rate and a commitment to begin immediately so an employment agreement could be placed on the April 10 board agenda.
“Those are the five attorneys that you have for consideration tonight,” Okazaki said. Several trustees raised process questions: Trustee Esparza asked for an estimate of total hours to complete negotiations; Okazaki estimated conservatively 15–20 hours and said 10 hours would be optimistic. Using that range, trustees noted a low‑end cost estimate of roughly $5,200 (at $260/hour × 20 hours = $5,200) and a high‑end estimate up to roughly $10,000.
Trustees also discussed conflicts of interest and vetting time; Okazaki said staff had not completed full conflict reviews for all firms due to the compressed timeline, though he had checked potential conflicts tied to Parker’s firm. Trustee Stevens reported Hutchinson & Steffson could prioritize the board’s timeline and make partners available quickly; Trustee Barone recommended Guerin Law Group’s Lisa Zastrow as an experienced, lower‑cost option and offered to make a motion when trustees were ready.
Nut graf: the board received candidate names, rates, and commitments to an accelerated schedule; trustees expressed a preference for counsel who could start immediately and work through a fast turnaround while minimizing cost and conflicts. No final selection was recorded in the excerpt; trustees indicated staff should complete conflict checks and return with a recommendation.
Ending: Trustees asked staff to confirm conflicts, confirm the specific attorney who would be assigned by any multi‑attorney firm, and return with a recommendation that meets the board’s timeline for the April 10 agenda.
