INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – County Attorney Alan Polackwich is searching for a law firm that can help his team handle the bankruptcy cases the county government gets involved in.
The county has recently been named as the largest creditor in a Tampa, Fla.-based bankruptcy suit against a developer. The county stands to gain nearly $340,000. Polackwich told commissioners Tuesday that, while his team has been able to fend for itself rather well, there continue to be times when they need the expertise of a law firm that specializes in bankruptcies.
He said that’s been “abusing” the relationships he has with lawyers out in the community, getting free advice. He can no longer do so, Polackwich said.
“We simply need a resource available,” he said of finding a bankruptcy firm willing to address questions as they arise.
As for the Tampa case, Polackwich said the county should definitely hire a firm to represent Indian River County – not only because the expertise is needed, but also due to the geographic distance between Tampa and Vero Beach.
Polackwich told commissioners that there could be a cap in place for the scope of work the law firm or firms could be tasked with, along with a limit on the amount of money the county is willing to commit.
Commissioner Joe Flescher supported Polackwich’s request, noting that the new county attorney has done well by the taxpayers in handling most all cases in-house.
In the case of the Tampa bankruptcy filing, Flescher supported the hiring of outside counsel.
Commissioners unanimously supported the request.
Polackwich said he’d get letters of agreement from a few firms and bring those back to the Board of County Commissioners for approval.