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Genola council interviews two law-firm proposals; options include split civil/criminal model and a separate part-time candidate
Summary
Council interviewed two legal-service proposals: a firm proposing to split civil and criminal duties between Josh and Aubrey Nelson (with a proposed $3,500 monthly criminal fee) and Philip Miller, who emphasized real-estate and development experience and a flat-fee/hours hybrid; council did not make a final selection and moved to closed session for further discussion.
The Genola Town Council interviewed two proposals for legal services and discussed options to separate civil and criminal work.
Josh (representing a new firm with his wife) and Aubrey Nelson described a collaborative model in which Josh continues most civil work while Aubrey handles the criminal calendar during daytime court sessions. Josh acknowledged his daytime commitments with another city that limit his courtroom availability but said he would continue civil work in evenings; Aubrey said she has acted in the criminal calendar for the past months and favors prosecutorial work. The firm proposed a flat monthly fee for criminal services (they cited $3,500 as a figure) and discussed using outside litigators for complex civil trials.
Philip Miller presented a separate proposal that emphasized experience with real-estate and development matters, including boundary agreements and title work. Miller said his current schedule at a title company and property-management interests make a part-time municipal contract feasible; he proposed a flat rate for some civil attendance and hourly rates for other civil matters and hourly for criminal matters where appropriate.
Council members pressed both teams on availability, conflict-of-interest scenarios, how litigation would be handled (outside counsel for major civil cases), billing structures and the potential to split appointments (Aubrey for criminal, Miller for civil). Members also asked about responsiveness outside daytime hours and whether a separate litigator would be retained for complex trials. The council did not award a contract at the meeting and later voted to go into a closed session to discuss legal counsel options.
What happens next: Council entered closed session at the meetings end to discuss hiring legal counsel and will return to public session before any formal appointment.
