The Richland County Executive & Finance Committee voted in open session to forward a three‑year corporate counsel contract with Russell Law Office Group beginning Jan. 1 to the full county board after closed‑session deliberations.

Committee members heard presentations from Russell Law Office representatives Lane Carver and Sam Golley, who described their municipal practice and said the firm would triage county questions among multiple attorneys. An applicant identified as Mr. Wendell questioned whether the county’s RFP had been handled according to the sealed‑submission requirement in the posted notice and said he personally delivered a sealed envelope to the county office; other firms had submitted proposals via email.

Wendell argued that failing to follow written submission instructions could jeopardize the procurement defensibility. “There is no faster way to get your case thrown out of court than by failing to follow the procedures laid out in [the] RFP,” he said. Russell Law’s Lane Carver acknowledged a conflict limited to the Town of Buena Vista and said the firm would step aside in any matter that created a direct conflict and that, when necessary, outside counsel would be retained.

The committee debated whether to offer a one‑year contract with extension options or to accept the three‑year term advertised in the RFP. After returning from closed session, members moved and seconded a motion to award the contract to Russell Law Office Group and took a roll‑call vote; the motion carried and will be forwarded to the county board for final approval. The committee announced the contract would begin Jan. 1.

The committee recorded the motion as approved in committee and will send the contractual documents to the county board for final action. The committee did not make public in the meeting the specific dollar amount of the contract; procurement documents and the RFP responses will be part of the county record.