The Office of General Counsel provides legal services to the Consolidated City of Jacksonville including its constitutional officers, boards, commissions and independent agencies. Its mission is to provide efficient and effective transactional and litigation legal support to the city’s many departments and agencies; and to accomplish this through the hiring and retention of exceptional legal talent, the use of technology and the use of paralegals.
The Office of General Counsel includes the following areas:
- Duval Legislative Delegation – Provides support services to state senators and representatives serving Duval County. Serves as a liaison between these officials and the citizenry.
- Ancillary Legal Charges – A clearing house for the payment of litigation expenses and professional services to the city.
- Ethics Office – Ensures that employees and elected officials comply with local and state laws, as well as with the city’s ethics code.
- Governmental Operations and Commercial Law – Provides transactions support to the departments and agencies of the consolidated government.
- General Litigation – Represents the consolidated government in all claims and actions except personal injury claims.
- Personal Injury – Represents the consolidated government in all claims and actions involving claims of personal injuries, federal civil rights violations and workers’ compensation.
- Land Use and Environmental – Addresses all of the city’s zoning, land use and environmental legal concerns
- Legislative Affairs – Provides legal support for the City Council and Duval Legislative Delegation for the enactment of ordinances, resolutions and charter revisions.
2011 Budget:
The total budget, which includes the General Fund and Internal Service Fund for the Office of General Counsel is $9,507,154.
The General Fund – GSD budget is $308,651.
During the fiscal year 2011 budget process, the Office of General Counsel eliminated the following:
- Internal services allocations valued at $254,663.
- Certain salaries, payroll taxes and workers compensation insurance with a combined value of $378,413.
- Both the Duval Legislative Delegation and Ethics Office decreased personnel expenses as a result of lapse and taxes. They also experienced operational cuts associated with reductions in internal service allocations and the removal of the training budgets.
- The Ancillary Legal Charges area cut GIS/Aerial.
2010 Budget:
The total budget, which includes the General Fund and Internal Service Fund for the Office of General Counsel was $10,019,192.
The General Fund - GSD budget was $326,841.