Closed-Prosecuting Attorney - Request for Proposals

Post date: Sep 12, 2016 5:14:42 PM

CITY OF VADER

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR PROSECUTION

AND LITIGATION SERVICES

The City of Vader, Washington (“City”) is requesting proposals from attorneys interested in providing prosecution and litigation services described below.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The City has a contract City Attorney, who is responsible for and manages the City’s legal affairs. The services that are the subject of this RFP fall into two categories, criminal prosecution in municipal court and civil infraction hearings. Proposers may be individuals, law firms, or public law offices. These contracted services are intended to begin upon contract finalization.

1. Criminal Prosecution

The attorney selected as prosecutor will be responsible for all aspects of prosecution in the Vader Municipal Court, including:

·         making filing decisions on criminal cases, with input from City police (Lewis County Sheriff’s Office contracts this service to Vader);

·         advising City police on the conduct of investigations, trial preparation, seizures,

and related matters;

·         interviewing witnesses and victims of crimes;

·         advising victims regarding their rights and responsibilities;

·         representing the City at arraignments, pretrial hearings, bench and jury trials, and

review hearings and appeals in connection with criminal misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases and certain contested infraction matters;

·         making appropriate sentencing recommendations and decisions to the court;

·         preparing and presenting legal memoranda, subpoenas, jury instructions, and other related materials, including handling any resulting appeals;

·         providing legal research, training, and assistance to City police in criminal matters, including statutory interpretation, enforcement issues, and case decisions; and

·         creating and maintaining appropriate files.

Currently, the Court is in session on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 3:00 p.m. 

2. Litigation of Civil Infractions

In addition to Prosecution Services, the City may have an occasional civil infraction matter to be filed and heard in the Municipal Court.  In such case, the attorney selected will also be expected to represent the City in the Municipal Court hearings for civil infractions, including preparing the infraction filings, gathering evidence and representing the City at the hearing and handling any resulting appeal.  The City Attorney handles all civil code enforcement, so this work may involve working with the City Attorney.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The attorney shall be licensed in the State of Washington. Five or more years of experience is preferred, including significant trial experience and criminal experience. Experience in providing the type of services described above is highly desirable.

COMPENSATION

The City and any attorney selected for these services will enter into a professional services agreement which will address compensation. Proposals must clearly set forth the fees or fee structure (e.g., hourly rate, monthly retainer, per-case fee) to be charged for the proposed services.

SELECTION PROCESS

All proposals will be reviewed and screened by the Mayor with the assistance of the City Attorney. Proposals will be evaluated by considering the attorney’s quality of experience, the strength of the approach described in the proposal, and the cost to the City. Finalists may be invited for interviews, after which the Mayor intends to make a recommendation to the City Council for its approval.

INSTRUCTIONS TO REPLY TO THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

To reply to this RFP, please submit a proposal of no more than five pages stating:

1.      the proposer’s professional qualifications;

2.      the proposer’s understanding of the type and level of services needed;

3.      the proposer’s intended approach to providing the services (including the level of City support anticipated); and

4.      outlining the proposed compensation structure for those services.

The proposal must also include contact information for three professional references.

All materials shall be submitted in one packet and submitted to:

City Clerk/Treasurer

City of Vader

PO Box 189

Vader, WA 98593

ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 1:00 P.M. ON

October 17, 2016.

At the City’s discretion, proposals submitted after the due date and time may be considered.

Proposers accept all risks of late delivery of mailed proposals.