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Greenwood District 51 retains long‑time law firm for 2024–25 after debate
Summary
After board members debated the value of a "fresh set of eyes" versus institutional experience, Greenwood District 51 voted to retain Duff Freeman & Line as the district's legal counsel for the 2024–25 academic year.
The Greenwood District 51 school board voted to retain Duff Freeman & Line as the district’s legal counsel for the 2024–25 academic year after a discussion about switching firms.
Board members reviewed proposals from several Columbia‑based firms and discussed whether to keep long‑standing counsel or hire a new firm. One board member said a new superintendent provided an opportunity to get “a fresh set of eyes” on district legal matters; another stressed the value of 20 years of institutional knowledge from the incumbent firm. Mr Rice, speaking from the board, said he had positive experience reaching attorneys by phone and praised White & Story but acknowledged limits to switching counsel quickly.
After the discussion, a motion to retain Duff Freeman & Line was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. The board did not record individual roll‑call tallies in the meeting transcript.
The board framed the decision as administrative: approving counsel for the academic year and maintaining continuity for district legal work. The superintendent had presented the list of candidate firms and summarized the firms’ regional work prior to the vote.
The board will notify the selected firm and proceed with routine legal engagements under the retained contract.
