Current Phoenix based law firm charges $485 per hour but gives College discount to $385 per hour; however it charges a flat fee to attend any Board meeting of $1,925 (will go to $2,100 flat fee if new contract approved); length of meeting irrelevant
The Contract with the Phoenix Law Firm of Osborn Maledon is up for review at the Governing Board meeting on the Verde Campus this Tuesday, October 8. Osborn Maledon is the law firm that represents only the Governing Board.
Other law firms are employed by the College to handle daily legal issues for it; they do not represent the Board. The College also employs special defense lawyers, such as those defending the College in the six-year old Hamilton v. Yavapai College lawsuit.
The bulk of the work provided by the firm representing the Board involves attending Governing Board meetings on a regular basis mostly in Prescott (occasionally in Sedona, Verde Valley, Chino Valley, Prescott Valley). The remainder is office work done at the Phoenix location of the law firm.
It is not clear that the Governing Board has put out bids asking local Yavapai County based law firms to bid on this contract.
According to College documents, Osborn Maledon charges a regular hourly rate of $485. However, the College documents indicate it charges a reduced rate of $385 an hour to the College for office work. The firm currently charges the College a flat fee for attending a Board meeting of $1,925. If the current contract is extended, it will increase that fee to $2,100 regardless of the length of the Board meeting.
The Board lawyer has typically attended all Governing Board regular monthly meetings, retreats, and special meetings. Meetings vary in time from two to over four hours.