Request for Proposal - Legal Services Proviso Township High Schools District 209 Cook County, Illinois

Transcription

1 Request for Proposal - Legal Services Proviso Township High Schools District 209 Cook County, Illinois Proviso Township High Schools District 209 (PTHS209) Cook County, Illinois invites qualified legal firms to submit responses to this Request for Proposal (RFP) - Legal Services. Although the RFP is for a full range of legal services, PTHS209 reserves the right to retain individual firms for discreet areas of legal service. Qualified attorney firms are encouraged to review the Request for Proposal Specifications and return the responses to: Proviso Township High Schools District 209 Attn: Purchasing 8601 Roosevelt Road Forest Park, IL Responses to the RFP are to be submitted in a sealed envelope marked Legal Services RFP. Responses shall be received no later than noon on Monday Sept. 28, Legal firms are required to submit three (3) paper copies as well as one (1) e-copy on a memory stick in PDF format of their responses to the Request for Proposal. All inquiries regarding this RFP are to be addressed to: Proviso Township High Schools District 209 Attn: Purchasing 8601 Roosevelt Road Forest Park, IL Rachel Rivera rrivera@pths209.org

2 School District Description Proviso Township High Schools District 209 is an Illinois Public School District that serves high school age students from the communities of Bellwood, Berkeley, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, Northlake, Stone Park, and Westchester Illinois. The district enrollment is approximately 4,700 students in grades 9 through 12. PTHS209 consists of three high public high schools. The District s Administration consists of: Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart, Superintendent Ms. Kim Echols, Assistant Superintendent Mr. Todd Drafall, Chief Financial Officer Ms. Brenda Horton, Executive Director of Human Resources PTHS209 runs an extended curriculum and extra-curricular program. PTHS209 bids and hires transportation for both regular and special education students. PTHS209 bids and hi res food service for the District. PTHS209 is part of a special education cooperative (PAEC). Some special education services are delivered in-house by PTHS209 employees and others are provided by PAEC. Employees of PTHS209 are either contracted administrative, non-union, or part of the collective bargaining agreement. Union employees consist of teachers, nurses, para-professionals, security, maintenance and secretaries. The District has three unions, the Proviso Teachers Union Local 571, the Proviso Support Staff Union Local 571 and the Proviso Custodial and Maintenance Union Local 73. PTHS209 currently has approximately 550 employees on payroll, not including coaches, substitutes, etc. The annual budget of PTHS209 consists of just over $100,000,000 in expenditures. A copy of the District budget may be examined on the PTHS209 web page. Legal firms interested in submitting a response to this RFP are encouraged to visit the PTHS209 web page at to acquire more information and become familiar with the District. Scope of Work The legal firm will be required to represent PTHS209 as general counsel in all aspects of law and specifically school law. Typical duties include the following: Act as general legal counsel to the Board of Education and the District Administration. Advise the Board of Education and the District Administration on the best course of Page 2 of 6

3 Page 3 of 6 action to minimize the probability of litigation against PTHS209. Represent the Board of Education in all present, pending and future litigation matters. Be knowledgeable about issues facing the Board of Education and be fully prepared to offer legal opinions. As requested by the Board of Education and/or Administration, prepare, review, consult and approve contracts. As requested by the Administration, prepare, review, consult and approve district policies and administrative procedures including, but not limited to, student discipline. Advise the Administration on all legal matters pertaining to special education. Conduct student discipline hearings and prepare recommendations to the Board of Education based on the law and the evidence submitted in hearing. Advise the Administration on all legal matters pertaining to external matters(i.e., tax objections, TIFs, bidding services). As requested by the Board President or Superintendent, attend meetings and/or workshops of the Board of Education. As requested by the Administration, review action(s) to be considered by the Board of Education in its upcoming meetings for possible legal implications or complications. Report to and receive assignments from the Administration. Be able to advise and represent the District on issues not normally considered to be within the scope of daily business conducted by the School District. (i.e., purchase of land, referendum issues, tort liability, construction law, cyber bullying, identity theft, etc.) As required, upon request, assist the District Negotiation Team in its contract negotiations with the collective bargaining unit, including, but not limited to, representation of the District at the negotiation table. Qualifications PTHS209 is seeking responses from law firms who specialize in Illinois school law and whose client list is primarily Illinois Public School Districts. In addition to the items listed under Scope of Work, the legal firm must also meet the following qualifications: Minimum Qualifications: Established Law Firm in Illinois and Cook County (established means currently representing clients in Cook County) In House Attorney who will handle the daily matters of the Proviso Township School District #209 Possess in-house attorneys who will handle specialized areas of law and school law such as: o special education,

4 Page 4 of 6 o student discipline and student rights, o Property assessment appeals and Cook County PTAB hearings, o TIFs, o grievance and mediation procedures, o human resources, etc. Ability to provide, as a part of your standard services, professional development opportunities through both workshops for School Board Members and School Administrators and through newsletters or updates published by said law firm. Experience/expertise in working with school districts regarding the discipline, remediation and/or removal of staff. For Proper consideration, please inform us on o How many Illinois Public school district clients you currently serve as general counsel? o How many of those clients are Public High school or unified districts? o How many of your Illinois clients where you serve as general counsel have been with your firm for least three (3) years? o How many of your attorneys have experience in: Special education and student disability issues? Student discipline and rights? Property assessment appeals in Cook County? TIFs? Grievance and mediation procedures? Discipline, remediation, and removal of employees? If your firm chooses to offer a retainer option, said retainer services shall include at least: o Review and drafting of FOIA responses o Review and drafting of general policies and procedures o Review, research, drafting and documents on general labor and employment issues o Review and drafting of general contracts and agreements o Review and production of documents regarding general student issues o General, non-litigation special education and student accommodation issues Preferred Qualifications: For proper consideration, please include How many of your firm s attorneys o Are members in good standing with the Illinois Council of School Attorneys (ICSA)? o Are active participants in ICSA committees and/or working groups? o Are members in good standing with the National School Boards Association (NSBA)? o Are active participants in NSBA committees and/or working groups? o Are bilingual (Spanish/English)?

5 Page 5 of 6 o Have at least five years of experience in Illinois school law? Please describe the demographics of your firm s attorneys and other employees. Is the firm currently on the list of attorneys listed as serving the district s insurance cooperative specifically, CLIC? Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Please indicate whether your firm has attorneys on staff with experience in each of the following areas: Discrimination and bias issues Employment and labor law Board governance and policy formation Privatization & school choice Athletics - eligibility, injuries, etc. Curriculum Facilities health & nutrition Religious issues School safety Student achievement Privacy & technology Num. of publications on School Law in law journals Num. of presentations given at ICSA or NSBA Grant application review and support Selection Process Law firms are to submit their responses in the format specified within this document and return their responses on or before the due date. After the due date, a screening committee consisting of members of the Board of Education and representative members of the District Administration staff will screen the responses for interview purposes. The screening committee and the interview committee will be composed of School Board Members and the District Administration staff. The proposed lead attorney assigned to represent PTHS 209 must be present during the interview process. Proposal Information and Response Format To achieve a uniform and fair evaluation process, law firms are asked to submit your responses using the following format: 1. Title Page: Show the RFP subject, the name of the law firm, all office locations and telephone numbers, name of the contact person and contact information (include addresses) and the date of submission of the proposal.

6 Page 6 of 6 2. A Table of Contents: Please Tabulate by section and page numbers. 3. Introductory Letter: Introducing your firm to PTHS History: The history must include the names and area of specialization of the partners and the legal structure of the firm as well as other information that you deem to be relevant. 5. Ability to Provide Services: Law firms are to respond to the Scope of Service and Qualification sections of this RFP and identify your ability to fulfill said requirements. 6. Resumes/Biographies: Include the resume or biographies of the following: Lead attorney assigned to PTHS 209 and all attorneys who specialize in different aspects of school law that PTHS 209 may use in the future. 7. A Schedule of the Firm's Fees: Include the following items in this section: The hourly fee and minimum time increment for billing purposes for all partners, associates, paralegals and administrative staff. Describe how telephone calls are billed. Any reimbursable expenses. A description of any alternative fee services, such as flat fees and blended fees. A sample monthly invoice. A description of any retainer fee(s) and all services that may fall under said retainer. 8. References: Provide a list of at least three Illinois Public High School Districts that your firm services in the Chicagoland area. Include the contact information of the Board President, Superintendent, Human Resources Director and Finance Director. Provide a separate listing of all Illinois Public School Districts who are new clients in the last five (5) years, as well as a list of any former clients who you have discontinued providing services to in the last five (5) years (with contact information, if possible). Selection and Naming of the PTHS209 Law Firm The interview committee has developed and shall use a rating instrument to assist in determining the future law firm of PTHS209 (the Evaluation Scoring Sheet). It is the goal of the committee to conclude the process so that a recommendation can be presented to the Board of Education at a monthly meeting to be held prior to October 13, 2015 and the selected firm shall commence its relationship with PTHS209 effective November 1, 2015.