Perkasie Borough is requesting proposals for legal services as the Borough Solicitor beginning in 2012.

Perkasie Borough

620 West Chestnut Street

Perkasie PA  18944

Attn: Daniel P. Olpere

Borough Manager

Interview Date: The Borough Council will be interviewing law firms interested in providing legal services in the capacity of borough solicitor to Perkasie Borough at their regular committees meeting on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. 

·         Although the law firm will generally be named as the solicitor, one person will be considered the primary solicitor. Who will be the primary contact? Who will be the backup solicitor in case of absence? Who else in the firm may be expected to fill in or assist the primary solicitor?

·         What experience do each of the assigned attorneys have in Public Sector Law? How many years each? 

·         What is your formal training in this area?

·         What percentage of your case load is in public sector law?

·         Do you have courtroom experience?

·         What additional expertise is available in your law firm if needed? (e.g. litigators, contract law, condemnations, etc.)

·         How many municipal clients does your firm represent and how many does the primary solicitor personally represent?

·         What noteworthy successes have you had in your practice?

·         Please provide us with a list of municipal references for the primary solicitor and the firm.

·         What is your general approach, strategy or philosophy in handling a municipal client?

·         Who is normally your primary contact?

·        How available are you for routine phone calls throughout the day?

·        What is your policy on returning phone calls?

·        How and when can we reach you?

·        How busy is your caseload? Can you adequately handle our account?

·        How do you keep your clients informed about progress in a case?

·         What are your fees per hour?

·         How are your hourly fees charged? (e.g. by the exact number of minutes or in blocks of 5, 10 or 15 minutes, etc.)

·         Do you charge additional or higher fees if a case goes to trial? What are the hourly rates for the other people in your law firm who would work on our case? (e.g. paralegals, secretaries, associate lawyer.)

·         What office expenses will we be charged for? (e.g. faxes, photocopying, etc.)

·         Are there any other fees/expenses that we need to know about?

·         Are there any ways in which you believe your firm offers better value to clients?

·         Will you provide a written agreement regarding fees and expenses?

·         Can junior attorneys or paralegals in the office handle some of legal work at a lower rate than what you charge?  

·         Do you charge a contingency fee, hourly fee or flat fee?

·         Do you require an upfront retainer payment? If so, how much is it?

·         How often will you bill us and when will payment be due?

·         How much detail do you provide on your monthly statements? Please provide a sample of one of your invoices.

·         Do you charge to travel to Borough (mileage expense and hourly rate)?

·         What is the travel time to the Borough from your home or office?

·         What do you expect from us as the client?

·         Are there any questions that we should have asked, but did not?

·         Is anything else that we should know or that you would like to add?