NEWS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 7, 2001

OAKLAND CITY ATTORNEY RELEASES RESULTS OF MANAGEMENT AUDIT

Oakland, CA—In keeping with his commitment to reform the Office of the City Attorney to meet the legal challenges of the 21st century, Oakland City Attorney John Russo has released the findings of a comprehensive management audit conducted by a professional risk management consulting firm.

The objective of the management audit was to evaluate frankly the existing operational practices, organizational structure, staffing levels and physical plant of the Office of the City Attorney and identify opportunities for change that would improve organizational efficiency, enhance service delivery and reduce litigation, thereby improving the office’s overall cost-effectiveness.

The audit found that the Office of the City Attorney "handles much more complex legal issues than those of similar cities." In addition, the combination of numerous economic development and redevelopment projects resulting from unprecedented growth throughout the City and Port of Oakland, as well as the cutting edge legislative initiatives of the City Council, has created a staffing deficit on the Office of the City Attorney. Unfortunately, this deficit is often met through the use of high-priced outside lawyers who have to be retained on a case-by-case basis.

Although the audit found that the Office of the City Attorney has a solid foundation in place, it recommended the following major changes to meet the complex legal needs of the City of Oakland:

  • Establish a well-defined risk management policy which will prevent the City from being sued in the first place
  • Expand and reorganize the Claims Unit to reduce legal costs, lower settlements and discourage the perception of the City of Oakland as a litigation target
  • Organize attorneys into focused practice units to handle complex cases
  • Establish dedicated departmental counsel positions to serve key City departments
  • Increase support staff (secretarial, paralegal and clerical) to improve attorney efficiency
  • Reorganize physical plant to enhance productivity and secure confidentiality of work products

The audit was based on:

  • interviews with Office of the City Attorney staff, senior City of Oakland officials and department heads, and local private-sector attorneys;
  • a review of existing organizational structures, policies, procedures and performance measures;
  • a survey of other public agency legal departments.

A copy of the full audit report is available at www.oaklandcityattorney.org/auditreport.html. City Attorney Russo will present the findings of the audit to the City Council Finance Committee on Tuesday, May 22, 2001.