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wrobert

Beach Fanatic

scooterbug44

SoWal Expert

$120K a year PLUS additional hourly rates and travel and reimbursables.

WHO THE HELL IS IN CHARGE OF THE CHECKBOOKS OVER THERE!?!

How nice that in exchange for paying $10k up front each month we get a 12.5% discount on their hourly rate. IMO we needed an in-house lawyer to avoid getting screwed in the contract w/ our in-house lawyer.

Exactly what travel expenses does the in-house attorney for Walton County incur for $1,000 a month. Shouldn't he be in the county?

$120K a year PLUS additional hourly rates and travel and reimbursables. 
 
WHO THE HELL IS IN CHARGE OF THE CHECKBOOKS OVER THERE!?! 
 
How nice that in exchange for paying $10k up front each month we get a 12.5% discount on their hourly rate. IMO we needed an in-house lawyer to avoid getting screwed in the contract w/ our in-house lawyer. 
 
Exactly what travel expenses does the in-house attorney for Walton County incur for $1,000 a month. Shouldn&#039;t he be in the county?

[quote="scooterbug44, post: 391010"]$120K a year PLUS additional hourly rates.
 
WHO THE HELL IS IN CHARGE OF THE CHECKBOOKS OVER THERE!?![/quote]
 
 
The Walton County Board of County Commissioners.  My experience is that they value your input.  Three are running for re-election, all unopposed at this time, so they must be doing something right.

We also have a staff attorney that I guess does research and the day to day things for the BCC.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="scooterbug44">$120K a year PLUS additional hourly rates. 
 
WHO THE HELL IS IN CHARGE OF THE CHECKBOOKS OVER THERE!?!</blockquote> 
 
The Walton County Board of County Commissioners. My experience is that they value your input. Three are running for re-election, all unopposed at this time, so they must be doing something right. 
 
We also have a staff attorney that I guess does research and the day to day things for the BCC.

Matt J

SWGB

SJ, would you want to put your bar license on the line for some of the idiotic things the county has done lately?  Would you want to be the counties in house Realtor?

full time

I just perused the agreement - too many bad memories.  If I read it right, I think the 120k is a retainer to be applied against future hourly billings - not in addition to the hourly billings.  The commission can probably get an in-house lawyer but you get what you pay for and skimming on a lawyer is generally not a good long term investment.

NotDeadYet

[quote]skimming on a lawyer is generally not a good long term investment.[/quote]
 
Freudian slip? :biggrin:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="">skimming on a lawyer is generally not a good long term investment.</blockquote> 
Freudian slip? 😀

Badges?

Beach Comber

I suspect the county would benefit from having an attorney or two as county employees.  The real issue is you get what you pay for when it comes to legal advice.  Think about it - an attorney with a proven track record, a degree from a real law school and a good reputation will cost big bucks.  There is so much money to be made in the private sector chasing ambulances and filing nuisance lawsuits, that the county would have to really offer something extra to attract an attorney who would dispense advise worth taking.  Think of the county as a billion dollar company.  An attorney making 120K seems fair.  I don't know Mr. Burke, so I'm not commenting on his abilities.

I suspect the county would benefit from having an attorney or two as county employees.  The real issue is you get what you pay for when it comes to legal advice.  Think about it - an attorney with a proven track record, a degree from a real law school and a good reputation will cost big bucks.  There is so much money to be made in the private sector chasing ambulances and filing nuisance lawsuits, that the county would have to really offer something extra to attract an attorney who would dispense advise worth taking.  Think of the county as a billion dollar company.  An attorney making 120K seems fair.  I don&#039;t know Mr. Burke, so I&#039;m not commenting on his abilities.

Funny - that was good for a laugh.  Skimp on the lawyer ... skim more from the public.

GoodWitch58

[quote="NotDeadYet, post: 391192"]Freudian slip? :biggrin:[/QUOTE]

Good one; tried to give you Rep, but system would not let me...:idontno:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="NotDeadYet">Freudian slip? 😀</blockquote> 
Good one; tried to give you Rep, but system would not let me...:idontno:

Lane Rees

Beach Lover

Excellent question about why the BCC has not hired a new attorney .. or correct title has been Director of Legal Services.  With the variety of legal issues, it is definitely wise to have a competent attorney hired so his key loyalty is to the County.

Smiling JOe

[quote="sowalgayboi, post: 391047"]SJ, would you want to put your bar license on the line for some of the idiotic things the county has done lately?  Would you want to be the counties in house Realtor?[/quote]
A County Attorney would not be putting his or her BAR license on the line, unless he or she was giving bad legal advice. As long as the attorney is acting within the legal scope of the position, the County Commissioners are on their own with regards to their actions.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="sowalgayboi">SJ, would you want to put your bar license on the line for some of the idiotic things the county has done lately? Would you want to be the counties in house Realtor?</blockquote>A County Attorney would not be putting his or her BAR license on the line, unless he or she was giving bad legal advice. As long as the attorney is acting within the legal scope of the position, the County Commissioners are on their own with regards to their actions.

[quote="full time, post: 391124"]I just perused the agreement - too many bad memories.  If I read it right, I think the 120k is a retainer to be applied against future hourly billings - not in addition to the hourly billings.  The commission can probably get an in-house lawyer but you get what you pay for and skimming on a lawyer is generally not a good long term investment.[/quote]I read it the same way as you. However, this is not a full-time position for the interim attorney, and I think that there are many qualified attorneys who would love to work a part time job and be paid a salary of $100,000 per year plus benefits. I am not at all suggesting that the County skimps on the cost of an attorney.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="full time">I just perused the agreement - too many bad memories. If I read it right, I think the 120k is a retainer to be applied against future hourly billings - not in addition to the hourly billings. The commission can probably get an in-house lawyer but you get what you pay for and skimming on a lawyer is generally not a good long term investment.</blockquote>I read it the same way as you. However, this is not a full-time position for the interim attorney, and I think that there are many qualified attorneys who would love to work a part time job and be paid a salary of $100,000 per year plus benefits. I am not at all suggesting that the County skimps on the cost of an attorney.

[quote="Badges?, post: 391221"]I suspect the county would benefit from having an attorney or two as county employees. The real issue is you get what you pay for when it comes to legal advice. Think about it - an attorney with a proven track record, a degree from a real law school and a good reputation will cost big bucks. [B]There is so much money to be made in the private sector chasing ambulances and filing nuisance lawsuits[/B], that the county would have to really offer something extra to attract an attorney who would dispense advise worth taking. Think of the county as a billion dollar company. An attorney making 120K seems fair. I don't know Mr. Burke, so I'm not commenting on his abilities.[/quote]
 
Generally those lawyers aren't all that competent anyway.  Most lawyers that make money aren't on TV hawking their wares.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Badges?">I suspect the county would benefit from having an attorney or two as county employees. The real issue is you get what you pay for when it comes to legal advice. Think about it - an attorney with a proven track record, a degree from a real law school and a good reputation will cost big bucks. There is so much money to be made in the private sector chasing ambulances and filing nuisance lawsuits, that the county would have to really offer something extra to attract an attorney who would dispense advise worth taking. Think of the county as a billion dollar company. An attorney making 120K seems fair. I don&#039;t know Mr. Burke, so I&#039;m not commenting on his abilities.</blockquote> 
Generally those lawyers aren&#039;t all that competent anyway. Most lawyers that make money aren&#039;t on TV hawking their wares.

Here4Good

It's not $120K - that's just the retainer. I had a problem with the part of the contract where the "contractor" is responsible for supervising the employees of the legal department. That's just a no-no for contractors, and I've employed plenty.

I asked Cindy Meadows about six months ago how the search for a new Director was going, and she said they were working on it.

My real issue with using contract legal services is that it is impossible to avoid conflicts of interest. This is a small "town", and this firm has many clients who are doing business with the county and are asking for decisions from the BCC on their requests for development orders, variances, etc.  This firm, Burke and Blue, represents many, many developers in Walton and Bay counties. You would have to, in order to be a successful firm here, since real estate law represents the bulk of the work here.

I think we deserve an attorney who does not have to balance those interests, who is concerned only with the interests of Walton County. The contract states that any legal work which has a conflict of interest will be handed off to another firm, but that sounds unwieldy and I cannot remember ever hearing of the other firm in connection with BCC business.

Understand, I have never had an issue with anything Mr. Burke says. 

It seemed to me that the last attorney left because the commisson was ignoring his advice. I would prefer to have someone giving these commissioners advice that they might not agree with, rather than someone who is protecting a nice contract for their firm.

It&#039;s not $120K - that&#039;s just the retainer. I had a problem with the part of the contract where the &quot;contractor&quot; is responsible for supervising the employees of the legal department. That&#039;s just a no-no for contractors, and I&#039;ve employed plenty. 
 
I asked Cindy Meadows about six months ago how the search for a new Director was going, and she said they were working on it. 
 
My real issue with using contract legal services is that it is impossible to avoid conflicts of interest. This is a small &quot;town&quot;, and this firm has many clients who are doing business with the county and are asking for decisions from the BCC on their requests for development orders, variances, etc. This firm, Burke and Blue, represents many, many developers in Walton and Bay counties. You would have to, in order to be a successful firm here, since real estate law represents the bulk of the work here. 
 
I think we deserve an attorney who does not have to balance those interests, who is concerned only with the interests of Walton County. The contract states that any legal work which has a conflict of interest will be handed off to another firm, but that sounds unwieldy and I cannot remember ever hearing of the other firm in connection with BCC business. 
 
Understand, I have never had an issue with anything Mr. Burke says. 
 
It seemed to me that the last attorney left because the commisson was ignoring his advice. I would prefer to have someone giving these commissioners advice that they might not agree with, rather than someone who is protecting a nice contract for their firm.

MinnDodd

[quote="full time, post: 391227"]Funny - that was good for a laugh.  Skimp on the lawyer ... skim more from the public.[/QUOTE]

Hey Full Time What do you know about lawyering...?:lolabove:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="full time">Funny - that was good for a laugh. Skimp on the lawyer ... skim more from the public.</blockquote> 
Hey Full Time What do you know about lawyering...?:lolabove:

Here4Good, you bring an important issue to the table, which I had not thought about with the potential for conflict of interest. I sure hope that the offices of Burke, Blue, et al, haven't been giving legal guidance to the BCC regarding conflicts of interest with the law firm's clients. I wonder if there is any way to know if a firm is the legal council for a particular client.??? I have one or two people whom immediately come to mind for checking this info, (purely out of curiousity).

Here4Good, you bring an important issue to the table, which I had not thought about with the potential for conflict of interest. I sure hope that the offices of Burke, Blue, et al, haven&#039;t been giving legal guidance to the BCC regarding conflicts of interest with the law firm&#039;s clients. I wonder if there is any way to know if a firm is the legal council for a particular client.??? I have one or two people whom immediately come to mind for checking this info, (purely out of curiousity).

[quote="Aggie, post: 391283"]Excellent question about why the BCC has not hired a new attorney .. or correct title has been Director of Legal Services. With the variety of legal issues, it is definitely wise to have a competent attorney hired so his key loyalty is to the County.[/quote]
 
Exactly my point .. key loyalty to the County not any other employer, law firm or client!

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Aggie">Excellent question about why the BCC has not hired a new attorney .. or correct title has been Director of Legal Services. With the variety of legal issues, it is definitely wise to have a competent attorney hired so his key loyalty is to the County.</blockquote> 
Exactly my point .. key loyalty to the County not any other employer, law firm or client!

Aggie, are you quoting yourself again. lol. I must have missed your post above, or else I would have given you credit for bringing it up as well. Thanks.

[quote="Booger, post: 391836"]Hey Full Time What do you know about lawyering...?:lolabove:[/quote]
 
I know that in court, you wear something appropriate, preferably made of cloth.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Booger">Hey Full Time What do you know about lawyering...?:lolabove:</blockquote> 
I know that in court, you wear something appropriate, preferably made of cloth.

Why hasn't Walton County hired an in-house attorney? Mike Burke is acting as interim Attorney for Walton County, and I just looked at the [URL="http://www.co.walton.fl.us/administration/Agenda/Tab%20G%203c.pdf"]amount he is being paid[/URL]. :blink:  With that kind of money, surely Walton County can afford to pay to have their own in-house attorney, and save some money. So why are we still without an attorney? :idontno:

Why hasn&#039;t Walton County hired an in-house attorney? Mike Burke is acting as interim Attorney for Walton County, and I just looked at the <a href="http://www.co.walton.fl.us/administration/Agenda/Tab%20G%203c.pdf" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">amount he is being paid</a>. :blink: With that kind of money, surely Walton County can afford to pay to have their own in-house attorney, and save some money. So why are we still without an attorney? :idontno:

Why hasn't Walton County hired an in-house attorney?

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Why hasn't Walton County hired an in-house attorney?

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