Douglas County School Board Legal Fees

Notes

1. The cost of the Writ of Mandamus could have been avoided had the school district, Joey Gilbert Law, and the four trustees complied with the public records request under NRS 239. 

2. The special investigation by Marquis Aurbach found no wrongdoing but did recommend policy changes that have yet to be brought before the board.

3. The majority of the costs have been for board meetings, administration, and the monthly retainer.  Much of this was unnecessary and caused by communication and requests from Susan Jansen and David Burns as board presidents and the inexperience of Joey Gilbert Law.  This is also why the board is currently creating bylaws to specify who and how trustees utilize district legal counsel and to reduce excessive charges.

4. Joey Gilbert Law credited the District $33,329.17 in October 2024 for incorrect billing of the retainer and travel, as well as a reduction in charges for administrative staff hourly rates.

5. These errors most likely would have gone undiscovered if not for questions from Trustees Gilkerson and Wagstaff, as well as members of the public.

6. The school district’s previous legal counsel, Maupin, Cox, and LeGoy that specialized in Education Law, had a $5,000 monthly retainer and billed $225 per hour for work beyond it; Joey Gilbert Law that had no experience in Education Law,  has a $7,500 monthly retainer and bills $325 per hour for work beyond it.  From 2019 through 2023, the average cost for Maupin, Cox, and LeGoy’s legal services was $168,968.97.  Under Joey Gilbert Law, legal costs have increased by 113%.

   7.  The school board trustee majority approved an increase of the 2023-24 general fund budget for legal services from $143,500 to

        $450,000, a 213% increase.  For the 2024-2025 general fund budget, they have approved $400,000 for legal services.

   8.  From July 2023 through February 2024, the billing for Kiera Sears, an Executive with Joey Gilbert Law who is not a licensed attorney,            billed $134,788. These fees alone could have applied to paying 1.5 teachers, most of the purchase of a school bus, and hundreds of              Chromebooks or other instructional materials.

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With the approval and support of David Burns, Katherine Dickerson, Doug Englekirk, and Susan Jansen, Joey Gilbert Law has charged DCSD far beyond any level the previous and highly effective firm of Maupin, Cox, and LeGoy ever did.