PORT TOWNSEND — The contract for public defender and indigent legal services will go out for bid during the next two weeks to allow competition with the firm that has held the contract since 2005.
“We would like to give some other local firms a chance to bid on this,” said County Administrator Philip Morley.
“There is a feeling around the courthouse that it might be time for a change.”
The Jefferson Associated Council, headed by attorney Richard Davies, has operated as public defender for five years, for the last three on the same contract.
The county had the option to extend the contract or put it out to bid.
Morley said the bid option was chosen “because other firms have expressed interest in the contract.”
The current $405,000 contract was based on the firm defending 400 Superior Court and 800 District Court cases per year.
In 2010, the firm took on 371 cases in Superior Court and 971 cases in District Court.
Once these numbers were finalized, the firm requested an additional $20,000 to handle the additional case load.
Davies employs five attorneys and one investigator.
Prior to 2005, the contract was held by Clallam Jefferson Public Defense, which employed Davies. In 2005, he and several other attorneys left that firm to offer their own bid for the services.
When he won the bid, his new firm was formed.
If the firm loses the bid, it might not go out of business, but it “will be reconfigured,” Davies said.
“We have five lawyers here who are not sure whether they will have jobs next year,” he said.
Prosecuting Attorney-elect Scott Rosekrans said that his office has a good relationship with the current public defender but added that putting the contract out for bid was a good idea because “competition is a good idea, and there is someone who can always do something better, less expensive or more efficiently.”
Morley said the purpose of soliciting the bid was not to get Davies to lower the price of his current contract.
On Monday, as the Jefferson County Commissioners approved the additional $20,000 for indigent defense, Rosekrans attended the meeting to support the allocation.
“Indigent defense programs are essential.” Rosekrans said.
“They are what separate us from other countries all around the world.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
