Following interviews with three law firms March 31 at a special meeting, East Lansing City Council unanimously voted to renew its contract with current City Attorney Thomas Yeadon.
Yeadon, who has served East Lansing at his post since 2012, was set to have his contract expire on June 30. In February, the council sent out 15 invites to firms in the Lansing area and beyond seeking an application for the position.
The city received eight applications for the position but narrowed down the decision to three firms. The three law firms contending for the position were McGinty, Hitch, Housefield, Person, Yeadon and Anderson P.C. law firm, the law firm of Secrest, Wardle, Lynch, Hampton, Truex and Morley, and the Thrun Law Firm, P.C.
“For the interview, we developed a comprehensive set of questions about legal issues relevant to the City, some based on community input, and asked the same questions of each firm,” councilmember Erik Altmann said.
Ultimately, the council’s vote approved the city to enter contract negotiations with Yeadon. Terms for the contract have not been made available yet as renewal negotiations between Yeadon, Mayor Mark Meadows and Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Beier.
“All three firms were impressive, but in the end, Mr. Yeadon’s track record prevailed,” Altmann said.
According to the Lansing State Journal, Yeadon and his firm sent a payment proposal of a $520,530 flat fee. A proposal by Secrest, Wardle, Lynch, Hampton, Truex and Morley, was unavailable to The State News on Friday, but Thrun Law firm stated in its proposal that it wanted to avoid up front costs and have a “pay as you go” agreement.
The law firm McGinity, Hitch, Housefield, Person, Yeadon and Anderson has serviced the city with an attorney since 1973, when Dennis McGinty was appointed, and served until he retired in 2012.
The law firm only employs 10 attorneys, but was given the highest rating given by Martindale Hubbell, a catalog and marketing tool for lawyers across the country, according to its website.
The website for the firm lists the cities of Mason, Charlotte, Wheatfield Township and Birch Run, among others, as clients.
The law firm also boasts a long history of dealing with municipalities’ legal issues.
“We have established a reputation in the legal community as leading experts in the areas of municipal law and workers’ compensation law,” the law firm wrote on its website. “Our municipal and workers’ compensation departments continue to achieve great success on behalf of our clients while establishing new precedents in Michigan law.”
Despite deciding to retain Yeadon, the council felt strongly about the other candidates and lines of communication would remain open if the city ever needed services from the other firms one day.
“We learned a lot in the process, and may call on some of the other firms for help with specific issues if we need their expertise in the future,” Altmann said.
Mr. Yeadon was unavailable for comment Friday.
