Meanwhile, law firms have been picking up the slack. Hero, Jorstad & Jacobsen has moved into the former Northfield Insurance location at 507 Division, right across the street from the Reppe Law Office. And James J. Schlichting and Fossum Law Office are now officing in back of the Just Food Co-op building.

Other law firms located downtown:  Lampe Law Group, Grundhoefer & Ludescher,  Frago & Lasswell, Hvistendahl, Moersch, Dorsey & Hahn, Schmitz, Ophaug and Dowd, Arnold Law and Mediation. (Have I missed any?)

Why are law firms thriving downtown but not photography studios?

Special thanks for including photos of our friend, Bob Lampe, a soldier who went through hell in WW ll. How many times Lampe told me about the horrors of the Battle of the Bulge. He is in very poor health nowadays, as you know, so it was endearing to see the proud old soldier, one who surely deserves our honor and gratitude.

    
I confirmed with Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 4393 Commander Bill Murphy that it was Pete Grossman with Bob Lampe in the series of photos.  I also spoke with Bob’s son Robbie Lampe and his wife Lynne Lampe who are staying with Bob at his house here in Northfield.

Bob Lampe has practiced law in Northfield since 1951. See the Lampe Law Group’s history page, as well as the Hvistendahl, Moersch, Dorsey & Hahn history page for more.

See also the Wikipedia entry on the Battle of the Bulge: "For the Americans, with about 500,000 to 840,000 men committed and some 70,000 to 89,000 casualties, including 19,000 killed, the Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle that they fought in World War II."

I’m trying to find a copy of an article about Bob’s WW II experiences that appeared in a regional publication a couple of years ago.   I’ll post it here when I find it.

Just as Doc diagnosed and treated all sorts of ailments, our firm strives to “treat” all of your legal needs, large and small. We value working with our clients and their families, addressing their needs through all stages of life. The Lampe Law Group, though changing hands from time to time, has served clients in the same location for over 130 years. That has been possible because of our strong commitment and dedication to the community and to our clients.

Here are just a few examples of the ways in which we’d like to help:

• Adoption – We make the process smooth and effortless, so you can focus on the joy of bringing a new addition into your family.
• Buying or Selling Your Home – There are strict disclosure laws which apply to residential sales. Whether you’re buying or selling your home, the last thing you need is for that sale to result in a lawsuit. Let us help make sure your sale complies with the law, and that it closes smoothly with no unpleasant surprises.
• DUI and Traffic Charges – It can happen to anyone. When it does, we can take the fear and anxiety out of the process and help you achieve the best result possible.
• Criminal Defense – Northfield is a college town. Sometimes student hijinks take a turn no one anticipated; we can help. ‘Nuff said.
• Divorce – We recognize there are no winners in divorce cases. That’s why our firm has been a pioneer in the effort to promote collaborative divorce where no one goes to court and the focus is on children, fairness, and maintaining family relationships.
• Bankruptcy and Financial Planning – At some point in their lives, almost everyone experiences times of financial difficulty and stress. Don’t go it alone. We can help. A lot.
• Employment Issues – Many problems between employers and employees, or contractors and subcontractors, arise from misunderstandings as to what each side expects. We can draft or review contracts in order to help eliminate those misunderstandings.
• Social Security Disability – Physical disability coupled with loss of earning ability is one of the most difficult circumstances anyone can confront. We know the Social Security system, and we can help you get badly needed benefits as quickly as possible.
• Wills and Estate Planning – Whether you’re young or old, YOU should make the decision regarding what happens to your children and your property after you’re gone. Don’t leave these critical decisions to the Court, the State, or anyone else.
• Litigation – Getting sued creates an instant crisis for businesses and individuals. We have years of experience in trying lawsuits; we’ll take charge of your lawsuit quickly and efficiently. The best settlements in lawsuits are achieved when the other side knows you’re prepared to go to trial. We are.

These are only some of the most common legal needs people have through the course of their lives. Our ability to provide a broad range of legal services to clients of all ages and from all walks of life results in the best possible service to our clients for the most reasonable cost. That is the commitment we make to everyone who comes in our door. We’d like to be your “family lawyer”. C’mon in.

ArtOrg is bringing together five artists that will create large works in an activity we call the “Five Sculpture Project”. The five sculptures will be exhibited at the pedestal in front of the Lampe Law Group in downtown Northfield, Minnesota. The projected public unveiling of the project will be in the fall of 2010, and thereafter each sculpture will be on display for a period of ten weeks each, or a total “Five Sculpture” display period of one year.

Since late 2008, the Lampe Law Office pedestal has displayed the Mac Gimse work entitled “Between Earth and Sky“.  Both the Five Sculpture Project and Art.Org have received partial funding through the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council through the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund via the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment which was adopted after State referendum in November 2008.  (The firm also makes a monthly donation to help fund this public art project.)

The partners at Lampe Law Group (Lance Heisler, Tim Morisette, and Maren Swanson) are all very enthusiastic about this project, and are looking forward to the installation of a new work later in the year.

And, in an editorial comment, and with my “civic booster” hat on, I want to hand it to the Lampe Law Group for their direct support of public art and the Northfield arts community via their donation of money and of prominent display space. Thank you!

We all know that “stuff happens”.  If it happens to you, call LampeLaw at 507-663-1211.  They can help.

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year!

I’d like to help them make their content even more useful by getting input from LoGro and the Northfield area community.  I began by asking Griff for feedback, and his answer–you could have predicted it–was “needs more fluff”.  Well, okay, I can work with that.  Meanwhile, for all you people of substance, are there general legal questions or issues you’d like to understand better? Do you have any suggestions for post topics? Or would you rather just see pictures of lawyers making fun of themselves?

For example, I asked Lance yesterday why someone should use a lawyer to draft documents for a business formation rather than just using boilerplate from the internet and paying the State’s fee. He had a pretty good answer for that. So, that’s a topic one of them will be blogging about soon.

Traffic court? The litigation process? Why a statute doesn’t necessarily mean what you think it means?  The kinds of things I think might be interesting or informative may be complete clunkers. If you can provide ideas by simply telling me the questions that have crossed your minds, or circumstances you’ve run into that could have been improved by more or better legal information, now’s your chance. There’s no doubt that such information could benefit others facing similar situations.

Understand, of course, that Tim’s, Lance’s, and Maren’s posts are not considered legal advice.  (They made me say that.)  And yes, I am getting paid for helping them with this. And they did pay for a Premium Plus level LG membership.

All that being said, the partners and I welcome your suggestions, so I hope I get some here!

I’ve copy/pasted the text from pages 18-22 here to make it easier to reference for discussion.  I’ve turned off comments here. Continue the discussion on our Sept. blog post, What’s up with the City Attorney selection process? (continued)

SELECTION PROCESS:

The Council authorized and approved the initial Request for Proposal and appointed the makeup of the Selection Committee on June 15, 2009. The selection committee included Mayor Rossing, Ms. Deb Little, City Clerk, Mr. Mark Taylor, Police Chief, Mr. Brian O’Connell, Community Development Director, Ms. Kathleen McBride, Finance Director, and Mr. Joel Walinski, City Administrator.

The initial Request for Proposal was posted beginning June 18th , with the deadlines for submittals being July 13, 2009. Special notices were sent out to the nine law firms currently doing business within the City of Northfield. Notices were also sent to all firms that were in the City database of legal firms. Additionally ads were placed in the Northfield News and on the League of Minnesota Cities website.

Scoring of the proposal:

Firms Submitting Proposals:

• Joseph J. Langel and Jay T. Squires, Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A.  – Civil
• Christopher M. Hood, Flaherty & Hood, P.A. – Civil
• Maren L. Swanson & Timothy L. Morisette, Lampe Law Group, L.L.P. – Civil/Prosecutorial
• John L. Fossum, Fossum Law Office, LLC – Prosecutorial
• Frederic W. Knaak, Knaak & Kryzer, P.A. – Civil/Prosecutorial

The proposals were scored by individuals on the Selection Committee based on the following criteria:

1. Years of experience in local government civil or prosecutorial law

2. Demonstrated knowledge in areas specified within the submitted proposal:

a. General state and federal laws relating to municipal government
b. Zoning, housing, annexation, subdivision and land use law
c. Economic development activities including development, redevelopment, enforcement, and property/real estate law
d. Legal activity relating to general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, tax increment bonds, tax exempt bonds, and other bonding and financial processes
e. Ordinance and resolution development and interpretation
f. Government Data Practices
g. City Charter and City Code issues
h. Contract law
i. Environmental law
j. Franchise law
k. Municipal leases
l. Eminent Domain
m. Trial activity
n. Criminal Prosecution

3. Resources: Demonstrated availability of additional attorneys, other professional and support staff, other resources

4. Cost of proposal: Hourly and retainer

Criteria were created to assist in the selection process. These criteria were included in the RFP and were approved by the City Council as part of their Council action to approve the entire solicitation process. The RFP notification was sent to every law firm located within the City of Northfield and to numerous other law firms in the area including the metro region. The selection criteria does not provide for a preference or selection being based on a local preference.

The Selection Committee is aware of the desire to retain local legal counsel and agrees with the concept if all other selection criteria are equal. Since there is a clear distinction in firms based on other selection criteria, the local preference concept was not viewed as the deciding factor.

All firms were interviewed except Mr. John L. Fossum, Fossum Law Office, LLC. Mr. Fossum has extensive experience as a public defender and no experience as a prosecutorial attorney. Initial interviews were completed on August 10 and August 12, 2009. Key Criteria identified by selection committee after review of proposals submitted and initial interviews for civil legal services:

The breadth of municipal legal service experience by individual attorney’s or their firms. The top ranked firms had a significant amount of experience and number of years of providing both general and specialized civil legal services to multiple small and mid-size non-metro cities.

• The depth and availability of additional attorneys and professional staff. Both of the top rated firms identified a primary contact with an extensive city government focused background as well as a significant number of attorneys within the firm who could back up and support the primary attorney also with an extensive background in providing both general legal counsel and special counsel to a number of cities throughout the state.

• A history of the legal services provided by the top rated firms and the wide array of civil services provided by their firm for municipal government, allowing one firm to provide the full extent of the Northfield’s civil legal needs. This was seen as a good value for the City in terms of services provided and cost containment.

As a result of initial interviews, the Selection Committee identified two firms that could provide civil legal services to the City and meet the key criteria:

Joseph J. Langel and Jay T. Squires, Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A. and Christopher M. Hood, Flaherty & Hood, P.A.

A second interview of the top two firms for civil services was completed on August 31, 2009 and references of both firms were contacted. Although both firms received high marks by all references contacted, Flaherty & Hood, P.A was the committee’s recommendation because of the firm’s work experience with a number of smaller communities and some consideration given on the cost of the proposal presented.

Regarding the firms not selected, the Selection Committee appreciates the time and effort put forth by the firms submitting proposals. The committee also would acknowledge that all firms were considered based on the experience, skills, and personnel. Listed below are the firms and the criteria shortcomings identified by the committee.

Joseph J. Langel and Jay T. Squires, Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A.: this firm is based in St. Paul and provides a significant amount of work to many cities, they are well equipped and staffed to handle many of the Northfield’s civil legal needs. The committee felt that much of the firms work focused on suburban/metro cities and the proposal submitted had hourly costs 25% higher than the recommended firm.

Maren L. Swanson & Timothy L. Morisette, Lampe Law Group, L.L.P.: This firm is based in Northfield and has provided the City with legal services 25 plus years, employs 3 attorneys. The firm stipulated during the interview process that they would only consider a contract for both civil and prosecutorial services. The breadth of the firm’s civil service is primarily limited to servicing Northfield. The number of attorneys employed by the firm limits the depth of service. The limited number of the firm’s attorneys has and will require the City to continue to employ additional attorneys to handle the array of civil legal needs at a significantly higher price.

Frederic W. Knaak, Knaak & Kryzer, P.A.: This firm is located in Vadnais Heights and employees 6 attorneys. The firm had limited experience in providing prosecutorial service. The firm’s focus was on metro suburban cities, which limited the breadth of experience.

John L. Fossum, Fossum Law Office, LLC: This firm is based in Northfield. Mr. Fossum has extensive experience as a public defender and no experience as a prosecutorial attorney.

As noted, another outcome of the interviews was the stipulation placed on the proposal submitted by the Lampe Law Group, L.L.P. During the interview process, the firm stated they would only accept a contract from the City where the firm would be under contract for both civil and prosecutorial services. The selection committee felt more options were needed for the prosecutorial services.

As a possible alternative, a preliminary assessment of hiring a in house City Attorney/Prosecutorial Attorney was considered. The problems identified included finding a seasoned attorney with the breadth of experience in all aspects of civil and prosecutorial legal functions required by the City, providing additional staff support for this position, and employee cost and benefits would exceed the current expenditures of legal services.

Additionally, Rice County was also contacted and asked to provide the costs of providing the City with Prosecutorial Services. The estimated price was $127,000. Because of the amount of prosecuting work required by the City, a full time County Attorney legal associate would be required.

An update of the selection process was provided to the Council on August 31, 2009 and Council authorization for a Prosecutorial Only RFP was approved on September 14, 2009. Posting of the RFP was made on September 15, 2009 with the deadline of September 30, 2009. Notices were sent to all legal firms within the City’s database. Ads were also placed in the Northfield News and on the League of Minnesota Cities website. Two firms submitted proposals for the Prosecutorial Services: Lampe Law Group and Campbell/ Knutson.

Interviews were conducted on October 7, 2009. As a result of the proposal review and interviews, the selection committee identified five key criteria in their decision making:

• Breadth of service experience with other communities, whether by the individual attorney or their firms.
• The depth and availability of additional attorneys and professional staff. The availability of additional staff allows for the ordinance and code updates and enforcement to be viewed as programmatic.
• Availability of attorney to be in contact with local law enforcement and those involved with the judicial system: judges, defendants, victims, and other attorneys.

• Costs.

• The focus of prosecution is considered to be that of the client’s, not the attorney’s. The council directs the focus and emphasis of the firm’s prosecutorial service.

Based on the criteria, the firm of Campbell/Knutson PA with Elliot Knetsch as the primary City Prosecutorial Attorney was rated as the top candidate. The firm has a broader scope of experience with more cities and a greater number of attorneys within the firm focusing on prosecutorial law practice.

Additionally, although not normally a key criteria, in this instance there was a significant cost difference between the two proposals submitted. The Lampe Law Group proposal was 60% higher than the Campbell/Knudsen proposal, $185 per hour vs. $115 per hour. References for Campbell/Knutson P.A. were checked and found to be exceptional from both large and small cities, metro and non-metro.

The field of law as it relates to municipal government is changing, The firms that focus on municipal law are more equipped to provide the value added service to their clients. Good governance requires the City review these service contracts, review the service levels, and position the City to best respond to the changing times. Given the changes on the horizon of the enforcement of ordinances, City operations, and City financing that will effect the City ‘s ability to survive and sustain itself successful, the selection process was timely.

The Selection

Committee does acknowledge the work performed and provided by the Lampe Law Office over the past several decades. It has served the City well.

COUNCIL OPTIONS:

1. Approve the Selection Committee’s recommendation as identified in the Proposed Motions for Considerations as listed above.

2. Reject either Proposed Motion and select an alternative firm or firms from those firms that have submitted proposals and authorize the Mayor and City Administrator to negotiate and develop contracts with identified firms.

3. Reject both Proposed Motions and select an alternative firm or firms from those firms that have submitted proposal and authorize the Mayor and City Administrator to negotiate and develop contracts with identified firms.

4. Reject both Proposed Motions and develop a new selection process for selecting a firm to provide legal services to the city.

Attorney Carl Arnold, formerly with the Lampe Law Group, has opened Arnold Law and Mediation LLC, leasing space in the Reppe Law Office at 5th and Division. Carl continues to post to his family law blog, the Always Family Center.