INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Indian River County School Board has narrowed its list of potential law firms with which to do business. The firms include the current legal counsel of Brown Garganese Weiss & D’Agresta, along with local companies to assist in labor law and employment matters and real estate.
The firms that made the short list and will be asked to come in for interviews later this month include G. Russell Petersen; Gould Cooksey Fennell; and Richeson & Coke, to handle Labor Law and Employment.
Those to be interviewed for Real Estate counsel are Collins Brown Caldwell Barkett and Garavaglia; and O’Haire Quinn Candler & Casalino.
The School Board plans to have all five firms interview on Feb. 28 for about 45 minutes each.
The intent is to find local legal representation that would save the School Board money given the current economic situation the district is facing.
The School Board’s current legal representative, Brown Garganese Weiss & D’Agresta, has requested that it, too, be considered for the Labor Law and Real Estate services.
The board has decided to renegotiate its contract with the firm to continue its General Counsel services.
The School Board has decided to hold off on making a decision on Workers Compensation counsel until after the district’s staff recommends a risk management firm. That company could have legal counsel available to the district.
To prepare for the interviews, each School Board member is expected to come up with a list of questions to present to the candidates. The candidates will all receive a certain number of similar questions so the board can best gauge the candidates – comparing apples to apples.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams suggested they talk with local firms not short-listed to get input on what questions to ask, if need be.
“You have local expertise at the table,” she said.
Dr. Adams recommended the board find out what type of experience the firms have dealing with school districts and local governments.
Board Chair Jeff Pegler cautioned the board that selecting a Real Estate firm could prove challenging given the potential for conflicts of interest.
“It’s something we’ll have to work through,” Pegler said, explaining that it is the nature of a small community and the sheer number of transactions.
