Norwalk : New City Attorney Named at Lower Rate
The Norwalk City Council has appointed as its new city attorney Steven L. Dorsey, of the law firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon. Dorsey replaces former City Atty. J. Kenneth Brown, who held the post for more than 19 years.
The City Council decided to rebid the city attorney’s contract last November after City Manager Richard R. Powers said that Norwalk’s legal fees appeared to be excessive when compared with several area cities with similar legal demands.
The city manager, however, had no specific examples of overcharging or bills for unnecessary legal services on the part of Brown’s firm. And Powers said city employees may have contributed to high legal bills by unnecessarily seeking legal advice. Brown said his firm provided the city with proper legal services at a reasonable rate.
Dorsey’s firm, which will charge the city a $5,000 monthly retainer and $135 an hour for additional legal services, initially underbid Brown’s firm of Brown, Winfield & Canzoneri, Powers said. Brown’s firm was willing to renegotiate its bid, but Powers said the council “simply wanted a change” when it appointed Dorsey last week.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
