Atlantic Beach pension trustees retain Pedro Herrera at Jones Walker after firm change

The Board of Trustees for the Police Officers Pension Board and the General Employees Pension Board of the City of Atlantic Beach voted May 28 to retain Jones Walker as pension counsel and to continue having Pedro Herrera serve as the boards' primary attorney.

Trustees heard presentations from David Robinson of Sugarman & Susskind and from Pedro Herrera, who joined remotely to explain his move to Jones Walker. Robinson described continuity plans and offered a fee reduction; "we have offered a 25% fee discount," he said, noting Sugarman has served the plans in recent years. Herrera, who said he had represented the boards for about a decade, described Jones Walker as a larger national firm with broader litigation and appellate resources and told trustees he would serve as primary counsel with dedicated back-up staff.

The choice mattered because trustees said continuity and responsiveness are central to overseeing pension administration. Robinson told the board Sugarman would continue to provide legal services if retained; Herrera said Jones Walker could guarantee rates and staffing for an agreed period. Trustees compared the proposals (Sugarman’s letter-rate reduction to roughly $372.75 per billable hour was discussed; Herrera quoted $400 per hour and said he could guarantee a rate for a multi-year term). The administrator noted the boards typically spend about $10,000 a year on legal fees and that fee differences were modest in that context.

The police trustees approved the motion to move representation to Jones Walker and retain Pedro Herrera as counsel by voice vote (all in favor). On the general-employee side, trustees voted 4–1 in favor of retaining Jones Walker and Herrera. Opponents cited an unresolved benefit overpayment on the general side that some trustees said had not been fully recovered; staff answered that the account had been closed and that recovery steps were under way. A trustee who raised the overpayment concern said the unresolved case weighed against a change in counsel, while others argued the firm-level resources and Herrera’s experience justified the move.

Trustees asked staff to secure any missing formal proposals and to confirm the length of any guaranteed fee terms before finalizing contract paperwork. Pedro Herrera thanked trustees after the vote: "I appreciate the vote of confidence," he said.

The boards did not adopt any additional contract terms at the meeting; staff will memorialize the selection and return with contract documents and fee confirmations for recordation at a future meeting.