September 15, 2026
DocID #27381v1
City Attorney's Office
DATE: September 15, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Shannon Moore, Interim City Attorney
Kimberly Chin, Interim Chief Assistant City Attorney
Subject:
Legal Services Agreement Amendment No. 2 with Liebert
Cassidy Whitmore for Litigation Matters
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed $250,000 increase to the legal services agreement is included within the approved Fiscal Year
2026-2027 Risk Management General Liability Fund
budget (Account String: 50182316-400554). As services
are billed at an hourly rate, the total cost may be lower than the not-to-exceed amount.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
October 1, 2024
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
A second amendment to the legal services agreement
with Liebert, Cassidy, Whitmore is needed to provide
additional funding and ensure the City has appropriate
legal representation and counsel for pending and future employment litigation matters.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: APPROVE a second amendment to the legal services agreement with Liebert, Cassidy, Whitmore for
employment litigation matters, increasing the payment
limit by $250,000, for a total amount not to exceed
$550,000, with a term expiration of June 30, 2027– City Attorney’s Office (Kimberly Chin 510-620-6709/Shannon
Moore 510-620-6509).
AGENDA
REPORT
September 15, 2026
DocID #27381v1
DISCUSSION:
The City Attorney’s Office is requesting a second amendment to the legal services agreement (LSA) with Liebert, Cassidy Whitmore (LCW) in connection with threatened and pending employment litigation matters, including appeals. LCW is a law firm with several offices throughout California that exclusively provide legal services to public sector agencies. The services provided by LCW have been extremely beneficial to the City and performed in a very satisfactory manner. LCW has entered into various previous and current legal services agreements with the City to handle litigation and employment matters.
The original LSA was approved by City Council on October 1, 2024, and the first amendment extending the term through June 30, 2027, was entered into June, 4, 2026.
As such, continuing the working relationship with LCW will provide stability in litigation matters, and it would be detrimental to the City's interests to change law firms at this juncture.
The rates for LCW are:
Partners $485.00/Hour;
Senior Counsel $400.00/Hour;
Associates $295-380.00/Hour;
Labor Relations/Human Resources Consultant $315.00/Hour; Classification & Compensation Consultant $230.00/Hour;
Paralegals $165.00/Hour;
E-Discovery Specialists $185.00/Hour;
Law Clerks $180.00 - $200.00/Hour
The City Attorney’s Office is requesting City Council approval for a second amendment to the Legal Services Agreement with Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, increasing the compensation by $250,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $550,000, and contract term extension through June 30, 2027.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Second Amendment to LSA with LCW (proposed) Attachment 2 – First Amendment to LSA with LCW
Attachment 3 – Original LSA with LCW