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Kendall County general counsel asks for second attorney; court splits on contract vs. permanent hire
Summary
The county's general counsel asked the court to create a deputy/assistant general counsel position to reduce outside-counsel spending and manage heavy workloads; commissioners debated hiring a full-time attorney versus using contract counsel and raised space, priority-setting and efficiency concerns.
Kendall County's general counsel made a detailed pitch for creating a second attorney position, citing a year of heavy workload, more than 100 contracts reviewed in the past year, litigation risk and an underused outside-counsel budget. "The volume of work that I have produced for you in the last year is not sustainable, for 1 single human being to do," the general counsel said, arguing a second attorney would enable more proactive legal work and reduce outside counsel costs.
Commissioners split: some favored using existing legal-fee allocations to buy contract attorneys as-needed, while others argued a full-time assistant would provide more consistent coverage and institutional knowledge. Space concerns, prioritization of legal tasks and the county's history of not funding certain support roles surfaced in debate. The court did not immediately approve a permanent hire; several members suggested using the $600,000 outside-counsel line where necessary or to post a position and revisit once priorities are clarified.
The general counsel warned that doing nothing would increase risk and slow routine operations. Commissioners asked staff to consider contract options and bring back cost comparisons and a prioritized scope of work for any new legal hire.
