The Jefferson County Health Department has hired new legal counsel after the Wegmann Law Firm decided to stop representing the agency, said Dennis Diehl, chairman of the Health Department Board of Trustees.
The Wegmann Law Firm, which is based in Hillsboro, had been the Health Department’s legal counsel since 1984, the agency reported.
Diehl said Wegmann Law Firm attorney Jessica Mikale, who served as the Health Department’s main legal counsel, submitted a resignation effective Sept. 27.
“That forced us to go find someone else,” he said.
Diehl said he did not know why the law firm opted to stop representing the agency, and Mikale did not return a call for comment.
On Sept. 24, the Board of Trustees voted 5-0 to hire the Sandberg Phoenix law firm, which is based in St. Louis and has offices in both Missouri and Illinois, with attorney Christi Coleman of Imperial to serve as the agency’s main counsel.
Jennifer Pinkley, the Health Department’s administrative services manager, said the
Health Department had been paying Mikale $145 per hour for her work.
Pinkley said Sandberg Phoenix began working for the Health Department on Monday, and its fees range from $100 an hour to $280 an hour, depending on if the work is done by a paralegal or attorney.
Diehl said the contract with the firm is open ended and the Health Department could change firms at any time.
Diehl also said he and board member James Prater reviewed proposals from law firms and made a recommendation to the board to hire Sandberg Phoenix.