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Couri & Ruppe Legal Services Proposal <br />March 28, 2013 <br />Page l0of13 <br />Unlike general practice law firms, we do not represent any private parties in the Ramsey <br />area which may have business before the City of Ramsey. As a result, we do not <br />anticipate any conflicts of interest involving the public at large in representing the City of <br />Ramsey. <br />We also have an established procedure to reduce the likelihood of conflicts between our <br />municipal clients. As such, prior to agreeing to represent a new municipal client, that <br />client is checked against a list of existing municipal clients to ensure that no conflict or <br />potential conflict exists. If a conflict exists, we decline representation of the new client. <br />No members of our firm have ever been sued for malpractice. <br />Several years ago a complaint with the Minnesota State Bar was filed against Mr. Ruppe <br />stemming from a Notice of Violation letter Mr. Ruppe sent to an individual on behalf of a <br />Township. Mr. Ruppe sent the letter to the individual as required by the Township's <br />ordinance, but also sent a copy of the letter to his attorney. The substance of the <br />complaint by the individual's attorney was that Mr. Ruppe sent the letter directly to the <br />individual instead of the individual's attorney, as prescribed by the Rules of Professional <br />Conduct (under the rule, attorneys are supposed to communicate with the other party's <br />attorney, not directly with the other party; however the Township's Ordinance required <br />that notice be sent to the property owner). The Office of Professional Responsibility <br />reviewed the matter and issued a private reprimand. No other complaints have been filed <br />with the State Bar, nor has any other discipline been imposed on any other members of <br />the fnm. <br />Insurance <br />Couri & Ruppe maintains general liability and legal malpractice insurance in the amount <br />of $2,000,000 per occurrence. Our carrier is Westport Insurance Corporation. <br />Attorney Continuing Legal Education <br />Mr. Couri is the current president of the Minnesota Association of City Attorneys and a <br />member of the planning committee for the Annual City Attorney Educational Conference <br />sponsored by Government Training Services. This group annually plans and puts on <br />three days of continuing legal education seminars for Minnesota City Attorneys. <br />Fees <br />Couri & Ruppe proposes the following basis for compensation over the two -year life of <br />the contract: <br />