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• COUNTY OF HAWAII �r'='.�% _•• STATE OF HAWAII • TFOIf ' RESOLUTION NO. 731 20 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT OF LEONG KUNIHIRO BENTON& BROOKE,AS SPECIAL COUNSEL TO REPRESENT THE COUNTY OF HAWAII, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES,HEALTH & SAFETY DIVISION,WORKERS' COMPENSATION BRANCH. WHEREAS, Section 6-5.5, of the Hawai`i County Charter, Special Counsel, provides that the County Council, may approve by two-thirds vote of its entire membership the employment of Special Counsel, for any special matter presenting a real necessity for such employment; and WHEREAS, the County of Hawaii, Department of Human Resources, Health& Safety Division, Workers' Compensation Branch ("County") handles numerous workers' compensation cases and due to the number of cases is in still in need of assistance of a Special Counsel; and WHEREAS, on November 3, 2015, the County Council approved the hiring of Leong, Kunihiro, Benton, & Brooke as Special Counsel to represent the County for a sum not to exceed Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00); and WHEREAS, on February 19, 2019, the County Council approved an additional Fifty Thousand dollars ($50,000) for legal services rendered by Special Counsel; and WHEREAS, Special Counsel represents the County in its most challenging workers' compensation claims, provides claims management oversight, makes recommendations regarding settlement, negotiations, pertinent evaluations and investigation, and promote resolution and closure; and WHEREAS, the Office of the Corporation Counsel does not have the expertise and personnel resources to provide the same level of legal services rendered by Special Counsel; and WHEREAS,there is a real necessity for Special Counsel to continue representing the County in its most challenging work; and WHEREAS,there is an additional Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) budgeted for legal services to be rendered by Special Counsel; now, therefore,