BROOKINGS Additional details emerged Monday regarding the citys new contract for legal services with Sioux Falls-based Woods Fuller law firm, including the per-hour rates for incoming City Attorney Vince Jones and his team of support and specialty attorneys.
The rates are:
- Jones: $320 per hour (lead attorney)
- Seth Lopour: $285 per hour (support attorney)
- Susan Rasmussen: $260 per hour (support attorney)
- Jim Wiederrich: $410 per hour (depending on scope and per-matter work)
- James Moore: $325 per hour (depending on scope and per-matter work)
- Paralegal rate: $125 per hour
Several options exist for Jones and his team when it comes to attending City Council meetings, including in-person or via video conference or teleconference. Furthermore, meetings requiring a physical presence will have travel costs halved, with Woods Fuller only charging for one leg of the approximately hour-long drive between Brookings and Sioux Falls.
The Brookings City Council, on a 6-0 vote during its April 22 meeting, approved bringing in Woods Fuller for the remainder of this year. Jones and his team will succeed current City Attorney Steve Britzman, who is retiring at the end of April following decades of providing legal services to the city.
In talking with the Brookings Register, City Manager Paul Briseno said Monday that the contract goes through Dec. 31, and that the City Council will evaluate it, likely sometime in the fall, to determine if the agreement will be renewed for 2026.
He further noted that the contracts cost depends on multiple factors, such as the number of hours used and which attorney from Woods Fuller provides the service.
The city typically utilizes approximately 50 hours of legal services per month, Briseno said. Given this is a new firm, there will be a learning curve, which may modestly increase expenses during the initial phase.
In total, Woods Fuller has more than 40 attorneys and has been providing services for more than 130 years, according to information from the firm. It also has a satellite office in Brookings, and it will be used by Jones and his supporting attorneys on an as-needed basis for things such as meetings and conference calls.
Lastly, change always brings about a degree of caution and uncertainty. That said, Britzman told the Register hell remain available for transitional work and support after Jones takes the reins sometime around May 1.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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