Glenview Appoints New Village Attorney After Review

GLENVIEW, IL — Trustees decided to hire a new law firm to represent the village last week. Village Attorney Julie Tappendorf of Ancel Glink, who also serves as the top municipal attorney for Lake Forest, Lindenhurst, Park Ridge and Campton Hills, was appointed to replace Eric Patt of Robbins, Salomon & Patt, who served as the village's top attorney since 2007.

Following a review of contracts for legal services, the Glenview Village Board voted unanimously at its July 3 meeting to adopt a staff recommendation to hire four firms for various types of legal matters. Ancel Glink was appointed as the village's general counsel. Clark, Baird & Smith will take over employment law. Lefkow Law will be responsible for labor management. Former Village Attorney Eric Patt's firm will remain in charge of prosecutorial services for the village, according to a memo from Village Manager Matt Formica.

Ancel Glink has 37 attorneys focused on municipal government and offices in Bloomington, Chicago, Crystal Lake, Naperville and Vernon Hills. Tappendorf is one of its six equity partners, according to a letter offering the firm' services. Its other municipal clients include the suburbs of Gilberts, Lake Forest, Park Ridge, Wadsworth and Lindenhurst — where Formica worked until April 2017.

The firm separately represents the Glenview Park District, but its staff was not aware of any associated potential conflicts of interest, the letter said.

According to Tappendorf's professional biography, she has spent her entire legal career representing governmental clients after serving eight years in U.S. Army Intelligence as a Korean cryptologic linguist. The Northbrook resident joined Ancel Glink in 2007 from Holland & Knight, where she served as assistant village attorney to Bannockburn, Glencoe, Grayslake and Long Grove.

Tappendorf is an adjunct law professor at John Marshal Law School and has published several books about local government topics. She is also the creator and principal author of the blog Municipal Minute, which covers legal issues from the perspective of municipal governments.

Ancel Glink will charge $27,000 per month, with hourly rates billed against it at $235 per hour for partners, $205 per hour for other lawyers and $120 an hour for paralegals, according to Tappendorf's letter to the village.

The previous terms with Patt's firm included a flat monthly fee of $25,500 plus costs, with a reduced hourly rate of $170 for most work and $175 an hour for major projects, according to his contract.

The village is working on a drawing up a new contract with Robbins, Solomon & Patt that would be limited to providing prosecution services for the village. The village's 2019 prosecution fees are anticipated to total $36,00, according to Lynne Stiefel, communications manager for the village.

The village paid between about $327,000 and $400,000 between 2012 and 2017, Stiefel said. Its 2019 legal fees are expected to come in at $324,000, but she said those numbers do not account for "unanticipated emergencies that require more than average legal services."

Agreements with Clark, Baird & Smith and Lefkow Law are still being drafted, she said. Those firms had previously been retained by the village as their services were needed, so there were no previous contracts and fees were negotiated periodically.

When Tappendorf is unavailable to attend regular or special meetings, Ancel Glink attorneys Greg Jones and Kurf Asprooth will act her her backup, according to her letter to the village.