Upload
others
View
4
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
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?