After presentations and closed session, committee selects Russell Law Office Group as corporate counsel

The Executive & Finance Committee on Nov. 24 heard from applicants for the county’s corporate counsel role and then moved into closed session to deliberate. After returning to open session, the committee voted to hire Russell Law Office Group on a three‑year contract starting Jan. 1.

Russell Law presenters Lane Carver and Sam Goli told the committee their firm has 14 attorneys and would likely assign five to help Richland County matters; they said they planned to open an office in Richland Center and could provide a full‑time attorney locally in the future. “We don’t have a formal presentation. We figured we'd just come in, introduce ourselves, introduce the firm, explain what we'd be here to do for you as corporation counsel, and then answer any questions,” Carver said.

During the presentations Clark Kalish and others raised procurement questions after staff reported that two of the submissions had been received by email and were subsequently printed and sealed by the MIS office, while one was dropped off in a sealed envelope. Kalish warned that failing to follow the RFP’s sealing instructions could create legal risk. A different presenter, who identified themselves as having delivered a sealed envelope in person, emphasized that following submission instructions is important and said they had submitted in person because they believed that was required.

Committee members also discussed the practical impact of conflicts of interest when a single attorney or firm represents both the city and county. Attorney Windle (the presenter who said he had delivered a sealed envelope) acknowledged the risk of conflicts when the same firm represents multiple municipal clients and said he would step back and recommend outside counsel when necessary. “In an ideal world, you could afford in‑house counsel and there wouldn’t be this conflict, but we don’t live in an ideal world,” he said.

The chair read the statutory basis for closed session deliberations under Wisconsin Statute section 19.851(e). After the closed session the committee debated contract length (some members preferred a one‑year term with options to extend; others supported the advertised three‑year term) and ultimately approved Russell Law Office Group for a three‑year contract beginning Jan. 1 by roll‑call vote (6 yes, 2 no). The committee will forward the contract to the full county board as part of its process for finalizing professional services agreements.