Taxes support and help pay for the county to provide services directly to the public and for the public benefit, including the improvement and maintenance of county streets and roads, the law enforcement services of the sheriff, county parks, ice rinks and golf courses, public health services, the prosecution of criminals and other activities.
To protect the county’s legal interests, our civil attorneys assist departments by:
- Providing legal advice regarding programs and projects.
- Helping negotiate agreements to obtain goods and services.
- Making sure people and companies who contract with the county have proper insurance.
We help departments do their work and provide services in a manner that reduces the chance of legal problems and, when legal problems do arise, to solve them in an efficient and cost effective manner that protects the public interest. Our attorneys also provide regular training for county staff on liability reduction, contracts and procurement, and data practices issues.
We work to preserve taxpayer funds by managing claims against the county when accidents and injuries happen, defending the county against lawsuits, proactively collecting debts owed to the county, conducting civil forfeiture actions involving property that may have been involved in the commission of a crime, and appearing in bankruptcy and conciliation courts.
Our attorneys respond to civil claims and lawsuits filed against the county and its employees in state and federal court, and assist the sheriff in cases when a person disputes the sheriff’s decision to deny a gun permit.
