Council begins screening outside-counsel applicants, invites interviews after receiving six submissions

The Johnson County Council moved forward with a multi-step screening process for outside legal counsel after receiving six applications by the posted deadline.

Council president Pam (surname not specified in the public transcript) said the county placed advertisements with the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Indiana State Bar Association and posted the position on local law-school job boards; the posting closed on the meeting day. The council received six resumes and covered letters, which members were asked to review.

Pam and county legal staff conducted an initial phone interview with Michelle Harder, who came to the meeting and introduced herself as a Greenwood resident and private-practice attorney. Harder described a two-attorney firm that handles real-estate, civil litigation and appellate work and said she has provided outside counsel services to other counties. The council offered Harder time at a future meeting to introduce herself formally.

The council president said she would repeat the preliminary-telephone-interview process for the remaining applicants and then invite shortlisted candidates to appear before the full council to answer questions before members make a final selection. The council clarified that the one-year flat fee under consideration would cover advisory work but not litigation, which would be billed separately.

No formal vote was required at the meeting; members agreed to proceed with telephone interviews and in-person introductions to inform a later selection vote. Council members also asked county legal staff to include any late applicants known to the council — the transcript references an attorney named Zach Lang who had expressed prior interest — and to confirm whether his materials had been submitted.