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Statements Of Any Malpractice Claims And /Or Ethics Complaints <br />None of the attorneys have ever been sued by a city, or other clients for malpractice. In the <br />interest of full disclosure, an ethics complaint was alleged against me in February of this year. <br />The allegations stem from a criminal case in 2008, five years ago. According to the allegations, <br />the defendant in that case claims that her then attorney would not meet with her to discuss her <br />case, would not show her the police reports, was unprepared for trial, and made inappropriate <br />comments to her over her unwillingness to plead guilty. At the time of this case, however, I was <br />the prosecutor, and not her attorney. She was, in fact, represented by the public defender's office <br />throughout the case. In fact, I never even appeared at a hearing involving the complainant as <br />another attorney from our office had made these court appearances. It appears that the <br />complainant has confused me with her court appointed attorney. Apparently, the only reason she <br />had my name, and perhaps mistook me as her attorney, is because one of the court notices, which <br />list the attorneys for the state and defense on it, included my name as it was my firm prosecuting <br />at the time. Upon receiving the complaint, I immediately prepared a response to the allegations <br />and forwarded it to the attorney assigned to investigate these allegations. During a recent <br />telephone conversation with this attorney, I was informed that she too believes the complainant <br />has mistaken me for her public defender attorney and informed me this matter would most likely <br />be dismissed as unfounded. This is the only time in my 17 plus years as an attorney that I have <br />ever had any complaint such as this lodged against me. <br />Support Personnel <br />Support personnel for providing legal services to the City of Ramsey will include the firm's <br />paralegal, Holly Provo. Ms. Provo holds college degrees in paralegal studies and criminal justice <br />and has been working as a paralegal for over seventeen (17) years. Ms. Provo has extensive <br />experience in all aspects of civil and municipal law, including drafting agreements and resolutions, <br />preparation of civil complaints and documents, and file preparation for hearings and trials. In <br />addition, she possesses extensive experience in criminal prosecution, including the drafting of <br />numerous criminal complaints, interviewing victims /witnesses, file preparation for hearings and <br />trials, responding to discovery demands, and interaction with the law enforcement agencies, <br />probation services and court administration of the cities served by the firm. Ms. Provo is also well <br />versed in the use of E- Charging for the electronic preparation and filing of criminal complaints and <br />she has received all security clearances required to participate in the E- Charging program through <br />the BCA. Ms. Provo's knowledge and experience in utilizing electronic discovery, record and <br />report requesting and E- Charging, has resulted in increased efficiencies within the firm. <br />While we are confident that we currently have sufficient staffing to meet the needs of the City of <br />Ramsey, in the event we are awarded the Civil and Prosecution contract, discussions will be had, <br />and additional staffing decisions will be made, to assure that the City of Ramsey receives the <br />highest level of service possible. <br />Office Location <br />Our office is conveniently located across the street from the Anoka County Courthouse, providing <br />quick access to the courts and court administration for special court appearances, filings, review of <br />court files, and recording of documents. <br />4 <br />