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Campbell council directs staff to pursue contract with Greg Nelson's firm to lead city attorney search
Summary
After interviewing three recruitment firms on July 9, 2026, the Campbell City Council voted to direct staff to pursue a contract with Greg Nelson's Jose Public Partners to lead the search for a full‑time city attorney, citing the firm's active recruitment approach and hands‑on lead recruiter.
The Campbell City Council voted July 9 to direct staff to pursue a contract with Greg Nelson of Jose Public Partners to run the city's search for a full‑time city attorney.
Councilors interviewed three recruitment firms at a special meeting and discussed firm experience, outreach strategies, backgrounding and timelines before taking the vote. The move begins the process of shifting from a long‑time contract city attorney model to hiring an in‑house attorney expected to start later this year or early next year if the search proceeds on the council's accelerated timetable.
Why it matters: The city is transitioning from a contract attorney model to a full‑time, in‑house city attorney. The recruiter the council selects will craft the candidate brochure, source and screen applicants, coordinate interviews with the council and internal stakeholders, and conduct post‑selection background checks and verifications.
During presentations, Greg Nelson, principal of Jose Public Partners, said the firm emphasizes an active recruiting strategy to build diverse candidate pools rather than relying on passive advertising. "We're active in our recruitment efforts," he said, describing targeted outreach on LinkedIn, direct recruiting and a researcher team that identifies passive candidates. Nelson also said the recruiter who meets the council would be the lead throughout the search, delivering candidates plus a documented process and consultation.
Council members pressed firms on background checks and legal constraints. Presenters described multi‑stage screening: media and social‑media reviews and public‑record searches early in the process, with conditional criminal and credit checks performed only after a conditional offer as required by California rules. One presenter said his firm uses HireRight for in‑depth verification and supplies a written report to the client.
Firms differed on scale and approach: one presenter highlighted a large social‑media footprint and a database of thousands of attorneys; another stressed a longtime Bay‑Area network and a CEO who would personally run the search. One firm quoted a fixed fee of $28,000 for the full engagement; others said fees were fixed but could include optional services for additional cost.
Council discussion before the vote emphasized candidate fit for Campbell's needs, the challenges of recruiting into the Silicon Valley housing market, and preserving access to specialized outside counsel for labor and HR matters. After discussing impressions, a council member moved to direct staff to pursue the selected consultant; another councilor seconded, and the council recorded 'Aye' votes from Council member Lopez, Council member Hines, Vice Mayor Bivy and Mayor Furtado. The motion passed.
Next steps: Staff said it will finalize and execute an agreement with the selected firm and return to the council with the contract terms and recommended next steps for the search process.
The special meeting adjourned after the vote.
