350 Sansome Street | Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94104
Jonathan V. Holtzman.
Managing Partner
415-848-7200
[email protected]
March 2, 2026
Via Email: [email protected]
Gary Barton
Mayor, City of Ripon
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
Re: City of Ripon
Legal Services Agreement
Dear Ripon City Council, at the care of Mayor Gary Barton:
Thank you for retaining Renne Public Law Group (“RPLG”) to provide legal services on behalf of the City of Ripon (“City”). We appreciate the opportunity to serve as the City’s lawyers and look forward to working with you on this matter. This Legal Services Agreement (“Agreement”) sets forth our agreement concerning the legal services we will provide and our fee and expense reimbursement arrangements for those services. This agreement creates an attorney-client relationship between the City and RPLG. Please read the entire Agreement before signing and returning it to us.
1. Scope of Engagement. RPLG will provide legal advice and representation concerning the matter of Liberty Self Storage, L.P. v. City of Ripon, County of San Joaquin case no. CV64915.
Glen Hansen will be the primary attorney providing legal work in connection with those services.
Our work is limited to such services. If we are requested to and agree to provide legal services on other discrete matters, we will confirm the engagement and bill separately for such services.
2. Fees and Personnel. As compensation for our services, our fees will be based on our current standard billing rates for the personnel performing services under this agreement at the time such services are rendered. Our standard billing rates for this matter for attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants are attached as Attachment A. Glen Hansen’s rate will be $475/hour. Rates will generally be increased annually on January 1 by the greater of 5% or the relevant local CPI increase over the prior 12-month period, rounded to the nearest $5.
Glen Hansen will be the attorney in charge of your matter. However, this agreement retains the legal services of our law firm and not of a particular attorney. If other attorneys and/or paralegals are assigned to work on your matter, then current hourly rates of those individuals will be utilized.
In the unlikely event of a dispute over fees, the parties agree that the dispute will be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the State Bar’s Mandatory Fee Arbitration Program.
Legal Services Agreement
March 2, 2026
3. Billing and Payment Responsibilities. We will send monthly statements which are due within 30 days of receipt. If you have any questions about an invoice, please promptly telephone or write me so that we may discuss these matters. Billing is done in 1/10ths of an hour increments.
The firm charges separately for certain costs incurred in the representation, as well as for any disbursements to third parties made on a client’s behalf. Such costs and disbursements include, for example, the following: travel expenses (including vehicle travel at the IRS rate in effect at the time the travel occurs), computer-assisted research, transcription, overnight delivery and messenger services. For major disbursements to third parties, invoices may be sent directly to you for payment. The firm also bills for time spent traveling on a client’s behalf at our normal hourly rates. Billable travel time to and from the City or County of San Joaquin Courthouse will not exceed three hours in one direction.
Our Statement of Fee and Billing Information, which sets forth the details of our disbursement and expense policy, is attached as Attachment B.
4. Termination of Services. You may terminate RPLG’s services at any time by written notice. After receiving such notice, we will cease providing services. We will cooperate with you in the orderly transfer of all related files and records to your new counsel.
RPLG may terminate its services for any reason upon reasonable written notice, consistent with the Rules of Professional Responsibility. If we terminate our services, you agree to execute a substitution of attorneys promptly and otherwise cooperate in effecting that termination.
Termination of our services, whether by you or by us, will not relieve the obligation to pay for services rendered and costs incurred before our services formally ceased.
5. No Guarantee of Outcome. Any comments made by us about the potential outcome of this matter are expressions of opinion only and are not guarantees or promises about any outcome or results.
6. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California.
7. Entire Agreement; Full Understanding; Modifications in Writing. This letter contains our entire agreement about our representation. Any modifications or additions to this Agreement must be made in writing.
8. Joint Representation. Our firm maintains Of Counsel agreements with certain legal specialists. Because these individuals are deemed independent contractors under the applicable provisions of the tax laws and not employees of the firm, it is necessary that you consent to dual representation by the firm and the specialist in the event the matter which you have engaged us to handle requires the use of that specialist. This arrangement has no effect whatsoever on the cost of Legal Services Agreement
March 2, 2026
your legal services, rather it is an ethical requirement that we disclose this fact and that you consent. You are consenting by signing this letter.
9. Conflicts. As you know, RPLG represents numerous public agencies, nonprofits and private clients throughout California. It is inevitable that certain clients might have certain objectives and policies that are not shared by other clients. For example, a city may support proposed legislation, while another city may be opposed to it.
The City recognizes this reality, acknowledges that this sort of policy disagreement may occur, and agrees that it will not assert a legal conflict of interest based on these types of policy or legislative disagreements. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to diminish or override RPLG’s duty to adhere to the Rules of Professional Responsibility, including the rules governing legal conflicts of interest.
10. Insurance. RPLG shall maintain Professional Liability Insurance that covers the services to be performed in connection with the Agreement in an amount not less than $2 million.
11. Signature Authority. By their signatures below, each signatory represents that they have the authority to execute this agreement and to bind the Party on whose behalf their execution is made.
Very truly yours,
Jonathan V. Holtzman.
Managing Partner
cc: Angie Perez
RPLG Billing Department
These terms are accepted and agreed to as of the date of this letter.
CITY OF RIPON
By:
Print Name: Gary Barton
Title: Mayor, City of Ripon
Legal Services Agreement
March 2, 2026
ATTACHMENT A
PRIVATE SECTOR FEE SCHEDULE
Effective January 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026
Our rates adjust by the greater of 5% or the relevant local CPI increase over the prior 6-month period, rounded to the nearest $5.
Partners: $850 - $1000
Sr. Associates, Of Counsel
& Sr. Counsel:
$650 - $950
Associates: $475 - $650
Law Clerks: $325 - $475
Paralegals & Sr. Analysts: $275 - $450
Analysts & Legal Assistants: $275 - $450
Consultants:
Director of Labor Relations:
$350 - $750
$450
Legal Services Agreement
March 2, 2026
ATTACHMENT B
RENNE PUBLIC LAW GROUP
STATEMENT OF FEE AND BILLING INFORMATION
The following is a general description of our fee and billing policies. These general policies may be modified by the specific engagement letter or agreement to which this summary is attached.
Professional Fees. Our fees for professional services are based on the fair value of the services rendered. To help us determine the value of our services, our attorneys and paralegals maintain time records for each client and matter. Our attorneys and paralegals are assigned hourly rates which are based on years of experience, specialization, training and level of professional attainment. We adjust our rates periodically (usually at the beginning of each year) to take into account inflation and the increased experience of our professional personnel.
To keep professional fees at a minimum, legal work that does not require more experienced attorneys will be performed, where feasible, by attorneys with lower billing rates. Of course, the quality of the work is paramount, and we do not sacrifice quality to economy.
Before undertaking a particular assignment, we will, if requested, provide you with a fee estimate to the extent possible. Estimates are not possible for some matters, however, and cannot be relied on in many others because the scope of our work will not be clear at the outset. When a fee estimate is given, it is only an estimate; it is not a maximum or minimum fee quotation. The actual fee may be more or less than the quoted estimate.
Billing and Payment Procedures. Unless other arrangements are made at the time of the engagement, invoices will be sent monthly. Invoices for outside services exceeding $100 may be billed separately. Occasionally, however, we may defer billing for a given month or months if the accrued fees and costs do not warrant current billing or if other circumstances would make it appropriate to defer billing.
Our invoices contain a brief narrative description of the work performed; if requested, the initials of the attorney who performed the work will appear on the statement. The invoice will include a line item reflecting in-house administrative costs. The firm’s in-house administrative costs include duplicating, facsimile charges, telephone charges, e-mail, postage, mileage and other administrative expenses.
In addition, the Firm charges separately for certain costs incurred in the representation, as well as for any disbursements to third parties made on a client’s behalf. Such costs and disbursements include, for example, the following: travel (at the IRS rate in effect at the time the travel occurs), computer-assisted research, transcription, overnight delivery and messenger services. For major disbursements to third parties, invoices may be sent directly to you for payment. The Firm also bills for time spent traveling on a client’s behalf at our normal hourly rates.
Legal Services Agreement
March 2, 2026
If you have any questions regarding an invoice, the Billing Coordinator or Accounting Manager is available to answer your questions. For any unresolved matters, the Bar Association has an arbitration mechanism that can be used to resolve such matters.