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Commission approves $75-per-hour contract for private termination-of-parental-rights cases
Summary
Davis County approved a contract with attorney Robert Latham to represent certain private petitions to terminate parental rights at $75 per hour through Dec. 31, 2026, a specialty category sponsored by the Indigent Defense Commission.
The Davis County Commission approved a contract between the county and attorney Robert Latham for a narrow category of cases involving private petitions to terminate parental rights.
Todd Dutzinger, the county’s legal defender coordinator, described the contract as a specialty engagement sponsored by the Indigent Defense Commission for situations where the state declines to pursue termination but a private petitioner proceeds. Dutzinger said the contract calls for an hourly rate of $75 and extends through Dec. 31, 2026. "Typically, they don't go to trial," Dutzinger added.
A commissioner moved to approve the contract; a second followed. The motion carried by voice vote with all commissioners recorded as saying "Aye." No additional conditions, amendments or funding offsets were recorded in the meeting minutes.
The contract is intended to ensure representation is available in a specific, limited case type identified by the Indigent Defense Commission; the county did not record the expected caseload or an estimated cost ceiling during the meeting.
