To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: JOY A. FORD, CITY ATTORNEY
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APPROVE AN AGREEMENT FOR LEGAL SERVICES WITH COAST LAW GROUP, LLP
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Attorney’s office maintains a list of approved law firms and attorneys from which to select outside counsel when special expertise is required in legal matters. The attached agreement will add Coast Law Group to the City Attorney’s approved law firm list and they will be utilized as needed with a special emphasis on CEQA matters.
BACKGROUND
John McClendon was assisting the City with CEQA matters, but is currently unavailable due to personal matters. He has highly recommended Livia Borak Beaudin from Coast Law Group, LLP (CLG). Livia has been an attorney in Coast Law Group’s Environmental aand Use and Civil Litigation practice groups since 2009. At CLG, she has been involved in numerous high-profile administrative and litigation matters involving local and state government agencies, including the California Coastal Commission, Regional Water Quality Control Board, SANDAG and local municipalities. With matters ranging from protection of local honey bees to Clean Water Act citizen-suit enforcement, Livia has gained extensive experience in local, state and federal environmental laws, including CEQA and NEPA, the Coastal Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Porter-Cologne Act. Livia also serves as legal director to the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation. Prior to joining CLG, Livia worked as a staff attorney at the local non-profit San Diego Coastkeeper.
COORDINATION
The Agreement for Legal Services will be approved by Coast Law Group and the City Attorney’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT
The billing rate specified in the Agreement for Legal Services is $425 per hour for attorneys, which is highly discounted from their standard rate of $870 per hour, and $175 per hour for paralegals, discounted from their standard rate of $250 per hour.
Submitted by:
Joy A. Ford, City Attorney
ATTACHMENTS
• Agreement for Legal Services