REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 23, 2025
FROM
TOM BUNTON, County Counsel
VICTOR TORDESILLAS, Deputy Executive Officer, Department of Risk Management
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Reed Smith LLP for Specialized Legal Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 24-176, with Reed Smith LLP, for continued legal representation, increasing the contract amount by $3,000,000, from $3,000,000 to a not-to-exceed amount of $6,000,000, and extending the contract term by two years, for a total period of October 5, 2023 through October 4, 2027 (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Tom Bunton, County Counsel, 387-5455)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The costs for the identified legal services are included in the Department of Risk Management (DRM) - General Liability Fund (7310004096). Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in DRM’s 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended contract amendment will allow the County to continue to utilize Reed Smith LLP (Reed Smith) to represent the County in the lawsuit titled, San Bernardino County v. Everest National Insurance Company, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. 23STCV02336, to obtain insurance coverage in connection with settlements reached in multiple matters.
On October 5, 2021 (Item No. 28), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 21-753 with Reed Smith for these legal services in the amount of $1,250,000 for the term of October 5, 2021 through October 4, 2023.
On February 27, 2024 (Item No. 33), the Board approved Contract No. 24-176 with Reed Smith for legal services in the amount of $3,000,000 for the term of October 5, 2023 through October 4, 2025. Reed Smith estimates costs will be approximately $3,000,000 for this matter through October 4, 2027. The County continues to require the services of Reed Smith in connection with the above lawsuit until it concludes. Four votes are required per Government Code section 25203, as the Board is approving employment of counsel to assist the County in an ongoing legal matter.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Laura Feingold, Chief Assistant County Counsel and Eva Magana, Chief of Administration, 387-5455) on August 21, 2025; Risk Management (Gregory Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst, 386-9008) on August 21, 2025; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on August 19, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Penelope Chang, Principal Finance Analyst, 387-4886) on August 20, 2025.