It’s clear that county supervisors have been spending money hand
over fist when it comes to defending San Benito in a slew of recent
legal battles.
It’s clear that county supervisors have been spending money hand over fist when it comes to defending San Benito in a slew of recent legal battles.
What’s still hazy is why the board would spend $564,000 on outside legal representation when the county maintains its own legal office.
With suits being tossed around like a summer salad, it’s obvious the area needs representation in the legal arena, but does it really need double coverage?
Apparently so. As the Free Lance reported Monday, the county has an A and B team when it comes to legal defense against civil litigation.
The varsity squad consists of the Sacramento-based, legal powerhouse of Hyde, Miller, Owen and Trost. The high-cost A-team has racked up more than $564,000 in legal expenses while defending our county board of supervisors. Included in the costs were several high-priced expert witness testimonies and, of course, the lawyers’ fees too.
The law firm itself contends its efforts could have saved the county millions of dollars and their costs are but a drop in the bucket compared to settling or paying off lawsuits had the county lost them. They’re right. Hyde, Miller, Owen and Trost, with a pair of pricey expert witnesses, recently won a $23 million suit brought against the county by Ridgemark. Losing that case, or any civil suit for that matter, would be a significant slap to the county’s tight budget.
However, buying out-of-town defense lawyers seems superfluous when the county has its own lawyers and pays their salaries. Likewise, benching lead county attorney Karen Forcum and her staff whenever the going gets rough will never allow them to develop the experience and expertise necessary to defend the county in the future.
County supervisors should have spent the money used on the Sacramento firm to build a legal dream team in San Benito County for San Benito County, not send the dollars up the road.
If the county thinks we need more legal muscle for high-profile lawsuits, they should staff the county attorney’s office with such or, at least, give the county attorney we have more deputies instead of calling in the legal cavalry and opening the checkbook at first sign of trouble. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy to hire out the big cases because it will only increase our reliance on outside help, instead creating experience within our own legal office. Plus it’s not like lawsuits will magically go away one day. Rest assured San Benito County will be sued again and again, and outside lawyers don’t appear to be lowering their prices any time soon.
A penny saved is a penny earned when it comes to the county budget, and the board of supervisors knows we need every cent we can get.
