The Irvine City Council will vote tonight on whether to have the Great Park’s two legal teams swap responsibilities. The move would save the park some much-needed cash, but its hard to say how much at this point.
The changep would make it so the two legal teams — Rutan and Tucker, LLP, and Nossaman, LLP — switch roles, with Rutan and Tucker providing general counsel services like attendance of various meetings, while Nossaman will take on special counsel services like advising on environmental regulations.
Irvine’s director of public affairs and communications, Craig Reem, said the change-up was necessary because Rutan and Tucker serve as general counsel to the city and the redevelopment agency, and the great park is really just another department of the city.
“We don’t need separate general counsels,” Reem said.
Savings are expected because many of Rutan and Tucker’s general counsel services run at $250 per hour, while the same services under Nossaman go for $300 per hour.
The exact amount of savings, however, is difficult to calculate because it is hard to know how often legal services will be needed throughout the year, Reem said.