California Court of Appeal

County of Santa Clara v. Superior Court (Atlantic Richfield Co.), H031540

People ex rel. Clancy v. Superior Court, 39 Cal.3d 740 (1985), itself does not bar public entities from engaging in private counsel under a contingent fee arrangement to assist in a litigation so long as the public entities' in-house counsel retain control over all decision-making. An order barring public entities from compensating their private counsel by means of any contingent fee agreement is vacated where the record contained no evidence that private counsel have ever engaged in any conduct that invaded the sphere of control exercised by the public entities' in-house counsel.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/08/2008
• Published 04/08/2008

Judges

• MIHARA, J.

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Ann Miller Ravel, County Counsel, Cheryl A. Stevens, Deputy County Counsel, Aryn P. Harris, Deputy County Counsel, Office of the Santa Clara County Counsel, Dennis J. Herrera, City Attorney, Owen J. Clements, Chief of Special Litigation, Erin Bernstein, Deputy City Attorney, Office of the San Francisco City Attorney, Michael J. Aguirre, City Attorney, Sim von Kalinowski, Chief Deputy City Attorney, Office of the San Diego City Attorney, Richard E. Winnie, County Counsel, Raymond L. MacKay, Deputy County Counsel, Office of the Alameda County Counsel, Dennis Bunting, County Counsel, Office of the Solano County Counsel, Thomas F. Casey III, County Counsel, Brenda Carlson, Redwood City, Rebecca M. Archer, Office of the San Mateo County Counsel, Raymond G. Fortner, Jr., County Counsel, Donovon M. Main, Deputy County Counsel, Robert E. Ragland, Deputy County Counsel, Office of the Los Angeles County Counsel, Jeffrey B. Issacs, Patricia Bilgin, Elise Ruden, Los Angeles, Office of the City Attorney, City of Los Angeles, John A. Russo, Oakland, Christopher Kee, Office of the Oakland City Attorney, Charles J. McKee, County Counsel, William M. Litt, Deputy County Counsel, Office of the Monterey County Counsel, Frank M. Pitre, Nancy L. Fineman, Ara Jabagchourian, Douglas Y. Park, Burlingame, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, Michael P. Thornton, Neil T. Leifer, Thornton & Naumes, Fidelma Fitzpatrick, Aileen Sprague, Motley Rice LLC, Mary Alexander, Jennifer L. Fiore, San Francisco, Mary Alexander & Associates, for Petitioners County of Santa Clara, et al., Sean Morris, Los Angeles, Shane W. Tsend, John R. Lawless, Kristen L. Roberts, Los Angeles, Philip H. Curtis, William H. Voth, Arnold & Porter LLP, for Real Party in Interest Atlantic Richfield Company., Richard W. Mark, Elyse D. Echtman, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Peter A. Strotz, Daniel J. Nichols, Oakland, Filice Brown Eassa & McLeod LLP, for Real Party in Interest American Cyanamid Company., Lawrence A. Wengel, Bradley W. Kragel, Sacramento, Greve, Clifford, Wengel & Paras, LLP, Allen J. Ruby, Glen W. Schofield, San Jose, Ruby & Schofield, James P. Fitzgerald, James J. Frost, McGrath, North, Mullin & Kratz, P.C., for Real Party in Interest ConAgra Grocery Products Company., Steven R. Williams, Visalia, Collin J. Hite, McGuire Woods LLP, Clement L. Glynn, Patricia L. Bonheyo, Walnut Creek, Glynn & Finley, LLP, for Real Party in Interest E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company., Michael T. Nilan, Halleland, Lewis, Nilan & Johnson, P.A., James C. Hyde, San Jose, Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley, for Real Party in Interest Millennium Holdings LLP., Paul F. Markoff, Crowley, Barrett & Karaba, LTD, Archie S. Robinson, San Jose, Robinson & Wood, Inc., for Real Party in Interest The O'Brien Corporation., James H. McManis, William W. Faulkner, Matthew Schechter, San Jose, McManis, Faulkner & Morgan, Donald T. Scott, Bartlit, Beck, Herman, Palenchar & Scott, Timothy Hardy, Esq., for Real Party in Interest NL Industries, Inc., Charles H. Moellenberg, Jr., Paul Pohl, Jones Day, John W. Edwards, Palo Alto, Jones Day, Brian J. O'Neill, Los Angeles, Jones Day, for Real Party in Interest The Sherwin-Williams Company., Jennifer B. Henning, for Amicus Curiae California State Association of Counties on behalf of Petitioners County of Santa Clara, et al., Victor M. Sher, San Francisco, Sher Leff LLP, for Amicus Curiae Association of California Water Agencies on behalf of Petitioners County of Santa Clara, et al., Arthur H. Bryant, Victoria W. Ni, Oakland, Public Justice, P.C., for Amicus Curiae Public Justice, P.S., Healthy Children Organizing Project and Western Center For Law and Poverty on behalf of Petitioners County of Santa Clara, et al., Kevin Underhill, San Francisco, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP, for Amicus Curiae Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America and the American Tort Reform Association on behalf of Real Party in Interest Atlantic Richfield Company., Fred J. Hiestand, Sacramento, for Amicus Curiae The Civil Justice Association of California on behalf of Real Party in Interest Atlantic Richfield Company., Richard O. Faulk, John S. Gray, Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, Jay Smith, Los Angeles, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, for Amicus Curiae The American Chemistry Council on behalf of Real Parties in Interest.