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City launches national search for next City Attorney, Mosaic Public Partners to lead process
Summary
The commission engaged Mosaic Public Partners to run a three‑phase recruitment for the next City Attorney: candidate profile development in December, outreach/recruiting in early 2026, and a selection process targeted for March–April. Commissioners pressed Mosaic on Michigan bar reciprocity, advertising strategy and community engagement.
Interim HR leader Ovel Barby told the commission Dec. 2 that the city has engaged Mosaic Public Partners to lead a comprehensive recruitment for the next City Attorney. Greg Nelson of Mosaic outlined a three‑phase search: develop a candidate profile in December, conduct outreach and recruiting in January–February, and run the selection process in March with a target appointment in April.
Nelson said the profile phase will include one‑on‑one meetings with each commissioner and with key staff to identify the attributes the commission wants. Outreach tactics will include paid advertising targeted to municipal law associations, general government sites and affinity organizations to build a diverse pool; direct outreach and research‑driven candidate sourcing; and LinkedIn/social media campaigns. Nelson emphasized managing candidate confidentiality and described efforts to attract passive candidates who often do not monitor job boards.
Commissioners asked Mosaic to pursue a national search while accounting for the city charter requirement that the City Attorney be admitted to practice in Michigan. Nelson said candidates who can obtain Michigan admission through reciprocity would be viable, but candidates who must complete the full Michigan bar process could lengthen onboarding by months. Commissioners also asked about expected candidate pool sizes, advertising reach, and community engagement; Mosaic said the number of finalists varies by scope but prioritized quality over quantity and promised to provide advertising channels, outreach plans and timelines in follow‑up one‑on‑one meetings.
Nelson said Mosaic will schedule meetings with each commissioner, identify stakeholders, finalize the candidate profile by the end of the month and open the search after the holidays to take advantage of market timing. Commissioners discussed options for public forums and stakeholder input during finalist stages and asked Mosaic to include community engagement in the process.
