HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0876.000 2022-2024Mitchell D. Roth
kfayor
County of Hawai 6 i
Finance Department
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2103 • Hilo, Hawaii 9G720
(808) 9G 1-8234 • Fax (808) 961-8569
April 26, 2024
Diane Nakagawa
Director
Aaron K.H. Brown
Deputy D6ector
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C_-ly
Heather Kimball, Council Chair and _ C),
Members of the Hawaii County Council `-
Hawai`i County Council cl� -�
25 Aupuni Street �..
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Re: Resolution Authorizing the Continued Employment of Special Counsel
Enclosed is a resolution authorizing the continued employment of Leong Kunihiro
Brooke & Kim as Special Counsel to represent the County of Hawaii Department of
Human Resources, Workers' Compensation Division. The County's Department of
Human Resources receives numerous workers' compensation claims, and 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.
If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to call Diana Mellon -Lacey of the Office
of the Corporation Counsel at 961-8251.
tY l P-11
Diane Nakagawa
Director of Finance
Enc.
c; Corp Counsel
HR
Comm. No. 1
Ref. To. i
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Pro videPef. Date 024
Form#: B-52
7/18/91
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION
DEPARTMENT: Office of the Corporartion Counsel DATE: 4/23/2024
STAFF CONTACT: Diana M. Mellon-Lacey PHONE: 808-961-8251
A. REQUEST:
The Office of the Corporation Counsel requests the placement of the attached draft resolution on the May
14, 2024 Finance Committee agenda. The attached draft resolution will impart authority to the Office of the
Corporation Counsel to continue the currently existing contract for special counsel with Leong Kunihiro
Brooke & Kim, and increase the budget for legal services by an additional $300,000.
B. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION (USE ADDITIONAL SHEETS AS NEEDED):
The County's Department of Human Resoures processes numerous workers' compensation claims. The
Office of the Corporation Counsel does not have the expertise, personnel and requisite resources to provide
the technical level of legal services that Special Counsel affords. The firm of Leong Kunihiro Brooke & Kim
("Special Counsel") has been retained by the County since 2015 and provides comprehensive legal
representation in workers' compensation cases, including:
-Investigation of injury claims related to serious medical conditions where the County's exposure may be
significant(stress, cardiac conditions, neurologic conditions, and employee deaths resulting from work-
related injury;
-All matters heard before the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board;
-Investigation and filing fraud complaiints, including representation at Department of Labor hearings
pertaining to fraud;
-Depositions of parties as a component of the investigation process;
-Claims handling for the most complex cases including multiple dates of injury and/or claims that have been
open for significant periods of time, to bring the claim to closure/resolution;
-Preparation of settlement agreements;
-Preparation and filing of court pleadings and making court appearances as necessary;
-Providing general advice and consultation to the County in relation to claims handling.
Corporation Counsel requests that Council grant the authority for continued employement of Leong Kunihiro
Brooke & Kim as Special Counsel and authorize an additional $300,000 to cover the anticipated costs under
this contract through September 30, 2025.
Digitally signed by J
SIGNED: Yosh i moto DATE: 04-23-24
Department Head