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Big Rapids will contract with Mika Meyers PLC for legal services

Big Rapids will contract with Mika Meyers PLC for legal services

Significant RAPIDS — The Major Rapids metropolis commission authorised a deal for legal providers with Mika Meyers, PLC in the course of its conference this 7 days.

Previously this calendar year, Major Rapids legal professional Eric Williams, who has represented the city for about 36 a long time, educated the board of his intentions to retire at the conclude of the year. Considering that that time, a research committee has labored to discover a substitute for Williams.

“We are not excited that Eric is retiring at the stop of the 12 months, and we are likely to overlook his knowledge for the town,” reported city supervisor Mark Gifford, who sat on the lookup committee. “We (the committee) looked at the process of getting an attorney on staff members as we have had in the previous. That didn’t go pretty significantly, so we turned to wanting into doing work with regulation firms.”

Through a meeting in May perhaps, Gifford advised the board the committee experienced been actively seeking for a substitute but have been getting problem discovering qualified candidates for city positions.

Commissioner Jennifer Cochran, who was also on the lookup committee, explained at the time they experienced obtained 6 programs, only two of which have been viable.

“The problem in advance of us is to how very best make the most of our fiscal sources for the form of operate we require to have done by a legal guide,” she said. “An option we talked about is to deal with a massive firm for the services as we require them.”

 Gifford mentioned they opened it up to any companies throughout the condition and had some “wonderful” submittals.

“We did interviews with all of them, and Mika Meyers rose to the best,” Gifford said.

Bradley Fowler will be selected as the city’s attorney, with further lawyers also serving the metropolis in the spots of finance counsel, work counsel, ordinance enforcement and tax tribunal counsel, according to details from the agency.

Fowler is a graduate of the College of Detroit Mercy Faculty of Law. He has 8 several years of working experience symbolizing municipalities and other community authorities. He served as the assistant attorney normal for the point out of Michigan prior to heading into personal exercise.

Nearby govt legislation is one of the firm’s major groups and is an space in which the business specializes. Their municipal legislation observe dates back again to 1956, and because that time has developed substantially, they reported.

A significant gain the town would have by retaining the organization is to remove the have to have to hire exterior counsel for any unique jobs, due to the fact the agency can give a total spectrum of products and services the city might will need.

“We are psyched about performing with them, and Eric is performing with Brad to make that transition as clean as attainable,” Gifford mentioned.

The contract is helpful as of Jan. 1, 2023, for a term of two decades, expiring Dec. 31, 2024, and will routinely renew for two further 3 yr terms until terminated by possibly get together. For the initial phrase the rate of expenses will be $250 an hour.