How I Work
Fast answers, in person, in plain English.
Local government work comes down to a few things: a fast answer, someone in the room, advice people can use, and knowing who to call. Here’s what that looks like.
01
You get an answer, not a memo
Local government doesn’t wait. When you call at 4:30 on a Friday because council meets Monday, you need to know what you can do and what you can’t. I call back the same day, and you get a straight answer you can act on. If it needs more work, I’ll tell you that too, and when you’ll have it.
02
I’ll be in the room
Council meetings, work sessions, on site, in the shop. When your issue is in front of the people who have to decide it, I’m there in person, not on a screen from somewhere else. It’s easier to solve a problem when you’ve seen it.
03
You get a decision you can explain
Your administrator and council aren’t lawyers, and they shouldn’t have to be. My job is to turn the statutes and ordinances into a choice they can make and defend at the next meeting. Plain language, the options, the risks, and what I’d do.
04
You get the right people on the phone
After twenty years in this work, a lot of problems get solved with one call to the right person. The right bond counsel, the right contact at a state or federal agency, the right engineer or consultant. That saves you weeks. It’s not just what you pay me to know, it’s what you pay me who to know.
05
When law enforcement is part of the problem
A lot of county issues involve the sheriff’s office or the detention center. I’ve worked that side for years, from Army Military Intelligence to two decades defending sheriffs’ offices and detention centers. I can help both sides of county government understand each other and get to a decision.
Two ways to work together
Pick the arrangement that fits
Be your local government attorney
Day to day general counsel for your administrator and council. Ordinances, meetings, contracts, personnel, and the calls nobody saw coming.
Back up your local government attorney
If you already have a county or town attorney who’s stretched thin, I can take a project, a lawsuit, or the overflow so they can keep up with everything else. A lot of my work comes from other government lawyers.
Big problem or small one, I’m glad to help. Call me at (803) 413-6187.