Law Department 2015 Business Plan

September 2014

The mission of the Law Department is to deliver high-quality legal services at a reasonable cost to Gwinnett

County government and its elected officials, employees, managers, staff, authorities, constitutional

officers, courts, and other related governmental organizations, thus providing benefits and value to the

citizens of Gwinnett County.

Our Values

• Excellence

• Ethics

• Service

• Accountability

• Efficiency

Staffing Levels

• 2015 Budgeted Positions: 16 • 10 attorneys • 6 support staff

• Vacant Positions: • 2 supervising attorneys • 1 support staff

Our Organization

NOTE: This Org Chart shows 1 extra attorney position that will not exist, but is shown for the purposes of visualization.

LawDEPARTMENT DIRECTOR

20000130WILLIAM J LINKOUS III

00078303

Division 1 - DOT/DWRATTORNEY, SUPERVISING

20000128VACANT

(FILLED BY PROMOTION)

Division 1ATTORNEY II

20000126DOUGLAS S MORELLI

00077976

Division 1ATTORNEY II (SPLOST)

20000666MICHAEL P LUDWICZAK

00027101

Division 1ATTORNEY II (SPLOST)

20000665FORREST S FIELDS Jr

00031986

Division 2 - P&D/ADMIN.ATTORNEY, SUPERVISING

20000131MICHAEL STEPHENS

00008049

Division 2ATTORNEY II

20000135THERESA A COX

00034789

Division 2ATTORNEY II

20000129JENNIFER B SAVAGE

00067193

Division 3 - RISKATTORNEY, SUPERVISING

20000165VACANT

Division 3ATTORNEY II

20000127TUWANDA RUSH WILLIAMS

00061801

Division 3ATTORNEY II

VACANT

Administration SectionLEGAL MGR

20000133JULIE B MIMS

00065470

Administration SectionLEGAL ASC II

20000137MERCEDES S THOMAS

00073657

Administration SectionLEGAL ASC II

20000304SARAH MARIE TOENES

00077088

Administration SectionLEGAL MGR

20000138VACANT

Administration SectionLEGAL ASC I

20000723KELLY V ELLISON

00076873

Administration SectionLEGAL ASC II

20000722BARBARA J OLIVER

00076343

Organizational Performance / Key Metrics

171 194

164

233

304

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Critical PathMatters

Reviewed

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014(projected)

Organizational Performance / Key Metrics

603 572

480

684

572

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

AssignmentsReviewed

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014(projected)

Organizational Performance / Key Metrics

696

665

754

695

786

600620640660680700720740760780800

ContractsReviewed

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014(projected)

Organizational Performance / Key Metrics

229 233 277

454

334

050

100150200250300350400450500

LitigationMattersReceived

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014(projected)

Organizational Performance / Key Metrics

1960

1912

2028 2057

2164

1750

1800

1850

1900

1950

2000

2050

2100

2150

2200

All mattersReceived

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014(Projected)

Organizational Performance / Key Metrics

0

209

620

1263

810

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

VolunteerHours

Achieved

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014(projected)

Value of In-House Law Department

• Proactive Legal Advice

• In-depth knowledge of the goals of the organization

• Frequent interaction with key personnel

• Availability for special projects that benefit the County

Average Hourly Rate Comparison Outside Counsel vs. Law Dept. Attorneys

$168.87

$64.68

$0.00

$20.00

$40.00

$60.00

$80.00

$100.00

$120.00

$140.00

$160.00

$180.00

2013 Outside Counsel Avg Hourly Rate 2013 Staff Attorneys Avg Hourly Rate

Annual Compensation Comparison Outside Counsel vs. Law Dept. Attorneys

$301,600.00

$134,000.00

$0.00

$50,000.00

$100,000.00

$150,000.00

$200,000.00

$250,000.00

$300,000.00

$350,000.00

Outside Counsel ($145/hour; 2080/year) In-House Attorney ($64.68/hour; 2080/year)

2015 Budget Request $ 2,028,901 2014 Adopted Budget $ 1,951,765 Increase $ 77,136

2015 Budget Request

• Total Base Request: $2,028,901 • Personal Services: $1,901,399 • Operating Budget: $ 122,863

Explanation of Increase

• Salaries and wages: budgeting at first quartile for vacant positions

• License support: new County-wide required item

• Employment advertising for attorney vacancy(ies)

• Telecommunications: budgeting for 4 BlackBerries

• Training/Travel/Dues: increases for additional attorney

• Tuition reimbursement request

• Annual increases for our law library subscriptions

2015 Operating Budget Request

Professional Services: $ 5,000 License Support: $ 13,046 Rentals-Copier Lease: $ 8,000 Rentals-PC Leasing: $ 7,478 Postal Services: $ 1,000 Telecommunication Services: $ 3,000 Advertising – Employment: $ 2,450 Printing & Binding Services: $ 2,500 Training: $ 10,000 Travel/Conference: $ 6,430 Dues & Fees (Prof Assoc.): $ 7,845 Misc. Other Services: $ 844 Supplies-Office: $ 7,000 Supplies-Books: $ 48,270 Total Operating Budget: $122,863

Ongoing Objectives

• Ensure that a full range of high-quality legal services continues to be provided

• Process the workload in a manner responsive to the needs of our clients

• Proactively assist Departments in strategic planning

• Remain current in legal skills, knowledge, training, and technology

2014 Business Challenges

• Increase in Number of Matters Received

– The number of assignments continues to increase as in past years

• Increase in Number of Critical Path Matters Reviewed ‒ Legal issues requiring immediate response continue to

increase

• Complexity of Legal Issues – Legal issues continue to increase in complexity and intensity

• Reduced Staffing Levels – The workload is currently distributed among fewer staff

2014 Objectives

Restructuring – Restructure Law Department and fill

vacancies

Volunteer Initiative – Continue law student internship and

externship programs

2014 Objectives (continued)

Attorney cross training – Develop proficiencies and abilities in multiple

disciplines – Increase long-term efficiency, effectiveness,

and productivity – Improve understanding of different practice

areas – Promote teamwork

2014 Major Legal Issues

• House Bill 60 (Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014) • Adjustment of services due to the incorporation of

the city of Peachtree Corners • Completion of issues associated with the

termination of Peachtree Corners’ transition period • Condemnation litigation issues • Implementation of the Unified Development

Ordinance • 2014 Election

2015 Objectives

– Become fully staffed – Additional space in department – Policy and procedure manual – Unified filing system – Develop proficiencies and abilities in multiple

disciplines by cross training attorneys – Provide internship/externship volunteer

opportunities

2015 Major Legal Issues

• Recodification • Economic Development Efforts and

Revitalization • Joint city/county SPLOST Projects

Questions?