CCSD trustees delay hiring decision, schedule interviews for outside counsel

The Clark County School District Board of Trustees on May 7, 2025 reviewed two proposals to serve as the board’s outside legal counsel and voted to delay a hiring decision so trustees could interview the candidates.

Trustees considered proposals from Parker Nelson (Parker Nelson & Associates) and a new firm marketed as NorthStar Law led by David Gardner. The board heard staff presentations on procurement, asked questions about fees and conflicts of interest, received public comment urging the board to prioritize independence, and voted on a motion that will require interviews before a final decision.

A majority of discussion focused on differences in firm structure, availability and price. Purchasing staff member Steve Skaggs explained the procurement background: the district issued an initial request for qualifications (RFQ) and received a single response, then reissued a second RFQ and obtained the two proposals now under review. He also provided trustees with a scoring rubric and the firms’ pricing matrices.

Trustees and counsel described the firms as follows. Parker Nelson presented as a multi-attorney practice offering a range of staff. Trustees recorded Parker Nelson’s proposed principal attorney rate at $300 per hour; associate attorney work at $250 per hour; paraprofessional or paralegal work at $125 per hour; and a flat monthly retainer option of $18,500. NorthStar Law, proposed by David Gardner, was described during the meeting as a newly formed, primarily single-attorney practice; Gardner’s quoted hourly range was $400 to $450 and his monthly retainer range was listed at $34,000 to $39,000. Trustees were told NorthStar might rely on outside consultants or other firms for backup assistance.

General Counsel John Okazaki said clients typically contract with a firm rather than an individual attorney and that firms assign attorneys based on experience and availability. Okazaki advised trustees that contract terms can specify a preferred lead attorney if the board so desires. He also estimated that interim general counsel work for the board had averaged about 20 hours per week during busier periods.

Trustees pressed staff on conflict-of-interest issues. Okazaki told the board that Parker Nelson’s firm represents Workforce Connections, an organization with which President Irene Bustamante Adams is affiliated. Okazaki said that, based on his review, no direct conflict existed at present: a conflict would arise only if the board or a board member became a party to litigation against Workforce Connections. Trustee Dominguez disclosed employment with Workforce Connections on the record. Public commenter Anna Binder urged trustees to avoid counsel who had worked closely with district leadership and to prefer a firm perceived as independent; Binder specifically noted David Gardner’s prior work at the Nevada Department of Education and asserted Gardner had been involved with AB 469.

Trustees debated whether to interview candidates before making a hiring decision. Trustee Stevens moved to table a hiring decision and conduct interviews within two weeks; that motion failed 5–2. After additional discussion, Stevens amended the motion to: table the decision, conduct public interviews of the applicants over the next two weeks, and if interviews are not completed in that timeframe, place the matter on the June 4 work session for decision. Trustees voted to approve the amended motion 6–1.

Board staff and counsel outlined the logistics for interviews if the board proceeds: a June 4 work session had been proposed as the fallback date, and the schedule would allow respondents additional days to update or submit materials. Purchasing staff noted that RFQ respondents had already received the district’s professional services agreement and could have taken exceptions during the RFQ; adding new interviewees later would be legally possible but would require new agenda notices and time to process.

The board did not select counsel on May 7. Trustees emphasized options available to them going forward—including negotiating contract terms, specifying a preferred lead attorney in the service agreement, pursuing another RFQ, or soliciting firms directly outside the RFQ process—while counsel repeated that contracting with a firm is the usual practice and that terms are negotiable.

The board’s action leaves the selection open pending interviews. If interviews occur in the two-week window the board directed, trustees will consider candidate responses and any negotiated terms before making a final hiring decision; the June 4 work session is the scheduled fallback.

Ending

The trustees’ decision to delay selection ensures public interviews will occur before a hiring vote; the board’s schedule allows either expedited interviews in the next two weeks or a public decision at the June 4 work session if interviews cannot be completed earlier.