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County weighs in‑house corporation counsel vs. contracted firm for 2026 budget
Summary
The committee discussed whether to convert contracted corporation counsel into an in‑house position for 2026; staff said going in‑house would increase annual cost, while the assistant district attorney warned a change could reduce her office’s 20% corporation‑counsel time and hinder retention.
The Cleveland County Executive Finance Standing Committee discussed June 23 whether to restructure corporation counsel for the 2026 budget year, weighing an in‑house full‑time counsel against continued contracting with outside firms.
County staff reported that the current annual spending on outside counsel and the assistant corporation counsel role totals roughly $115,000; the approximate cost of a full‑time in‑house corporation counsel was estimated at about $150,000 plus benefits and potential support staff. Staff said contracting has the advantage of overhead borne by the firm and flexibility in hours, while proponents of in‑house counsel said a county attorney could provide more timely, proactive legal work on items such as committee bylaws, ethics policy drafts, and outstanding tax deed and eviction matters.
Jennifer Harper, who identified herself as an assistant district attorney and assistant corporation counsel, cautioned about the personnel impact of changing structures. “By cutting … the assistant corporation counsel assistant out of my office, you're functionally cutting 20% out of my office,” she said, explaining that the historical 80/20 structure allowed recruitment and retention of attorneys who split time between the county and the district attorney’s office.
Committee members discussed options including increasing contracted hours, bidding the contract with clearer hour requirements, or hiring a full‑time counsel plus a legal secretary (costs for a legal secretary with salary and benefits were estimated in discussion at roughly $55,000). Several supervisors said they wanted a clearer accounting of current hours and a specification of the level of service required before a budget decision is made.
Outcome and next steps: the committee asked the administrator to return with clearer hourly usage, a specification of the duties the county expects (so a bid can be structured accordingly), and cost comparisons for an in‑house attorney plus necessary support staff versus expanded contracted services. No final decision was taken at the meeting.
