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City attorney'appointed law chief outlines audit showing gaps in contract, claims and litigation oversight
Summary
Janine McIntyre, the municipal law division chief, told the Compton City Council that a Prism audit and a 10-year review found deficient documentation and oversight in the city's legal and risk-management functions and said the city now has about 64 active lawsuits and hundreds of claims in recent years. She presented steps already taken and said technology and stricter outside counsel oversight are next.
Janine McIntyre, the newly appointed municipal law division chief, told the Compton City Council on Dec. 9 that a third-party audit and a 10'year review of contracts, claims and litigation exposed "significant deficiencies" in how the city has tracked and overseen legal matters.
McIntyre said the audit, completed by Prism, assessed activity from about fiscal year 2016 to 2025 and found particular weaknesses in documentation and litigation supervision. "When I first started supporting the city, that number was much closer to three digits," she said, adding that the city currently has "roughly 64 lawsuits on record." She also told the council the city received roughly 300 claim requests in a recent 12'month period of the audit data.
Why it matters: McIntyre framed the numbers as both a challenge and an opportunity. She told council members the patterns of claims and settlements have fiscal consequences and that better recordkeeping, tighter outside'counsel oversight and improved contract review could reduce legal exposure.
What McIntyre recommended and actions already taken: McIntyre described several immediate steps the municipal law division has begun implementing: creating a municipal law division chief role and a law'office framework; issuing written guidelines and monthly check'ins with outside counsel; partnering more closely with risk management; and instituting a life'cycle approach to contract review to reduce manual handling errors.
"We have regular meetings [with outside counsel], we go over their invoices, we go over their reporting," McIntyre said, adding that two defaults were set aside and motions filed on others after the law division discovered late answers in recently served suits.
Council reaction and next steps: Council members pressed for details about defaults, settlement drivers and what the work plan will cost. McIntyre urged the council to hold her office accountable while backing investments in matter'management technology. Assistant City Manager Tamara Benz and McIntyre said staff would bring implementation proposals and budget recommendations back to council for consideration.
Context and limitations: McIntyre repeatedly framed the numbers as the work product of the new municipal law division and Prism audit; she cautioned some data are partial (fiscal-year 2025 figures were described as incomplete) and that prior recordkeeping changes limited historical comparisons. She did not propose new legislation at the meeting; council directed staff to return with recommendations and schedules for implementation.
Ending: Council thanked McIntyre for the report and asked staff to follow up with scheduled items on oversight, technology procurement and a clearer schedule for reporting progress.
