DATE: November 17, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Douglas T. Sloan, County Counsel
Hollis Magill, Director of Human Resources
SUBJECT: Legal Services Agreement for Municipal Litigation and Advisory Matters
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Under Administrative Policy No. 34, for competitive bids or requests for proposals (AP 34), determine that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement under AP 34 is satisfied and a suspension of competition is warranted to obtain the services of special legal counsel to assist the County, and that the best interests of the County would be served by entering into an Agreement with Manning Kass LLP; and
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Manning Kass LLP, to act as Outside Counsel for Municipal Litigation and Advisory Matters to the County, effective upon execution not to exceed five consecutive years, total not to exceed $7,500,000.
REPORT
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the recommended actions would suspend the competitive bidding process and allow the County Counsel to utilize legal services provided by Manning Kass LLP (Mannin Kass) pertaining to Municipal Litigation and Advisory matters. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose not to approve the recommended Agreement with Manning Kass, in which case the County would need to find alternative representation for the matters currently being handled by the firm.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
Under AP 34, competitive bidding is not required to engage specialized legal counsel. That is because the policy deems a contract to obtain the services of special legal counsel to assist the County a circumstance that constitutes a suspension of competition.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Inte...
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