Worst law firm in San Antonio is on brink of being disbanded
Web Posted: 10/09/2005 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Michael Bernard takes over as city attorney in eight days.
He's not coming to issue a pink slip or two. He's coming to clean house.
"I am going to be an agent of change," Bernard says.
Change will be sweeping. All 53 assistant city attorneys will have to reapply for their jobs.
In effect, everyone gets fired. Then some get rehired.
"The purpose is to get rid of deadwood," says Chip Haass, the city councilman leading the push to dismantle the City Attorney's Office. "I've been told by insiders that there's up to 50 percent deadwood."
Bernard will evaluate and interview the city's attorneys. Then he'll decide who stays and who goes.
"Getting the right people in the right places — that's the most critical change," says Bernard, the first assistant district attorney. "Any other change you make is purely cosmetic.
"I'm compiling a list of people from the outside that I'm going to try and bring over — some good, well-experienced lawyers."
The most derided law firm in town needs a wrecking ball.
Bernard steps into an office beset by mismanagement and inep ude. Under former City Attorney Andy Martin, the office developed a reputation for losing critical do ents.
Once, two agreements with the now-defunct PGA Village vanished. Days later they reappeared in a vault next to Martin's office. "God only knows how they got there," he said.
Losing do ents is one problem. Losing track of attorneys is another.
Acting City Attorney Martha Sepeda manages 52 lawyers scattered across the city. Most work at City Hall; the rest work out of four other offices. "It's challenging," Sepeda says.
Some say it's harder than that. One person cannot hold accountable a team of lawyers in five offices.
The solution? Bring them to one office. That's Bernard's plan. He doesn't know where or when. He only knows it must be done.
Consolidating the office is critical. So is restricting the city's reliance on outside legal counsel.
Haass recognized long ago that the city was paying outside law firms $150 per hour (and more) for work that could be done in-house for $40 to $50 an hour.
He asked City Auditor Pat Major for an accounting of money paid to outside counsel.
Major's research shows the city spent at least $3.8 million this past fiscal year. Sepeda's numbers show the city paid more than $4 million.
Haass wants to eliminate a third to a half of spending on outside counsel. Then he wants to cap outside legal expenses — an idea consistent with Bernard's vision.
"The ultimate goal is that the work is done in-house," Bernard says. "There are a number of specialized, high-risk projects that you take to outside counsel. But the go-to people should be in the City Attorney's Office."
Bernard wants an infusion of high-quality lawyers. To attract them, he'll offer higher salaries. To reward productive, in-house attorneys, he'll offer raises, perhaps up to 30 percent.
Bernard will take a knife to expenditures on outside counsel. The money he slashes — more than $1 million — will pay for increased salaries.
Assistant city attorneys in Dallas and Phoenix are paid significantly more than those in San Antonio. In some cases, assistant city attorneys here earn $20,000 to $40,000 less per year.
On the day the City Council voted to hire him, Bernard met with Mayor Phil Hardberger and a few others to discuss strategy.
Council members said they wanted new energy, fresh talent, improved production. Bernard agreed. A mandate for change was cemented.
He's done this before. Over two weeks in 1999, Bernard revamped personnel in the office of new District Attorney Susan Reed. Six years later, the office remains strong.
Overhauling the City Attorney's Office will take more than 14 days. "I hope to bring in new people quickly," Bernard said. "I hope to make personnel decisions in a 30- to 45-day period."
Assistant city attorneys no longer enjoy civil service protection. That makes everyone vulnerable. That makes dramatic change possible.
Bernard wants to raise the stature of the City Attorney's Office. He envisions a law firm of renown.
But first things first. The City Attorney's Office is about to be gutted.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/met...d.30ca2f3.html
on one hand: Yeah! thats great! there's nothign a citizen wants to hear more than "things are changing for the better" and actually see it happen! YKWIM??
on the other hand.... I kinda feel bad for the current attorny's in that office.. I had to go thru the exact same upheavel at a former job. Had to re-apply and re-interview for my own job. Plus I still had to do my job thru al lthe added stress and uncertainty with some newbie boss over my shoulder all day for weeks.....not fun.
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