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Campbell council directs staff to pursue hiring an in-house city attorney
Summary
After a staff briefing on legal-service models and questions about costs, the Campbell City Council unanimously asked staff to pursue recruiting an in-house city attorney, seek a professional recruiter, and return with a timeline and recommendation.
The Campbell City Council on March 31 directed staff to begin preparing to hire an in-house city attorney, after a staff presentation comparing the city’s current hybrid contract model with a full-time, in-house counsel option.
City Manager Brian told the council the city has operated a hybrid model — a retainer covering a set number of hours with hourly billing for work beyond that — and presented a staff memo outlining trade-offs between contracting and hiring. “I would encourage us to be thinking about the relationship, as much as the cost,” Brian said, noting that litigation-driven spikes can make year-to-year legal costs unpredictable. He also told the council the city budget currently reflects about $174,000 for certain legal costs handled through the city manager’s department.
Why it matters: Council members said day-to-day access and continuity were decisive factors. Several…
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