Who will do UO’s legal work?

10/11/2011: Currently the DOJ handles litigation and many other matters for UO and the OUS system. SB 242 devolves responsibility that to OUS and the universities. UO General Counsel Randy Geller wants to subcontract a chunk of this work out. His request for proposals was augmented by an amendment from OUS.

• RFP
• Amendment

The RFP closed 9/11. A month to the day after a public records request to UO, I’ve finally obtained the bids for 6 of the 37 firms. It took the help of a state representative and a petition to Attorney General Kroger to get UO to release these, I am still trying to get the other 31.

The proposal from Dave Frohnmayer’s firm, Harrang, Long, Gary and Rudnick is particularly interesting. Understandably, the firm wants to brag about his UO connections:

Dave Frohnmayer, Part-Time Of Counsel (15 years of government practice/Admitted
in Oregon 1971, OSB #710015). While Dave is not a full-time attorney with the firm, he is available for consultation on matters as UO-PSU-OSU-CO/OUS deems fit (and at your discretion). As you are well aware, Dave is not only a former Attorney General for the State of Oregon, but he also has extensive experience in higher education and with the UO in particular as a former President. As such, Dave has deep connections both in Oregon and internationally (particularly in Germany and the Pacific Rim). He also maintains connections with the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Society of Attorneys General Emeritus (SAGE) and other groups within the legal community, which may be of benefit to UO-PSU-OSU-CO/OUS. Alternatively, UO-PSU-OSU-CO/OUS may request that Dave recuse himself from some or all matters, or that the firm create a firewall between him and some, or all, firm activities related to UO-PSU-OSU-CO/OUS

But the proposal does not note that Frohnmayer is still on the books as a UO law professor – although his page at Harrang Long et al. notes this prominently. Perhaps a bit of a conflict of interest? On top of that, while the proposal is in large part to deal with employment law, problems with Frohnmayer’s own employment contracts with UO have been found by the state Audits Division – report here.

Here are the proposals I have so far:

• Ball Janik 090911 REDACTED.pdf
• Bond Schoeneck King 20082911 REDACTED.pdf
• Gleaves Swearingen Potter and Scott REDACTED.pdf
• Gleaves Swearingen Potter Scott 082311 REVIEWED.pdf
• Harrang Long 081211 REDACTED.pdf
• Harrang Long Gary Rudnick 082911 REDACTED.pdf
• Miller Nash 081211 REDACTED.pdf
• Miller Nash 083111 REVIEWED.pdf
• Stoel Rives 081211-REDACTED.pdf
• Stoel Rives 092111-REDACTED.pdf

The whole list: