HomeMy WebLinkAboutContractAGREEMENT FOR LEGAL SERVICES
THIS AGREEMENT, dated for reference purposes only as October 8, 2025, is by and
between the City of Renton (the “City”), a Washington municipal corporation, and Seamark
Law Group, PLLC, a Washington Professional Limited Liability Company (“Attorneys”). The
City and the Attorneys are referred to collectively in this Agreement as the “Parties.” Once
fully executed by the Parties, this Agreement is effective as of the last date signed by both
parties.
1.Scope of Work: Attorneys agree to provide the following legal services,
hereinafter “Legal Services”:
Legal representation of the City in connection with a lawsuit filed by Angie
Davis, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Christopher Floyd Bost in
King County Superior Court under cause number 25-2-20417-1 KNT, and for
related legal services requested by the City and agreed to by Attorneys.
The lead attorney on this matter will be Geoffrey Grindeland.
2.Communication: The City authorizes Attorneys to exercise their best
professional judgment to represent the City’s best interests in this matter. The City
authorizes Attorneys to make tactical decisions that, in Attorneys’ best judgment, are
necessary to pursuing this action. The City will determine the objectives of representation
and Attorneys will consult the City regarding the means by which the objectives are to be
pursued. All settlement offers will be communicated to the City, and no settlement will be
agreed to without the City’s consent.
Attorneys shall keep the City informed as to the progress of the City’s case, including
but not limited to the status of any hearings noted with or without oral argument, and will
send copies of all important papers coming to and going from Attorneys’ office, including
significant correspondence, pleadings, and other documents. Attorneys will provide the City
with sufficient notice of significant decisions arising in the course of the Legal Services to
allow the City to meaningfully participate in the decisions. Attorneys will not stipulate or
agree to procedural changes or limitations or other actions that materially impact the City’s
rights without obtaining the City’s fully informed consent. Such actions include, but are not
limited to continuing trial dates, stipulating to protective orders or other discovery
concessions/restrictions, and joint defense agreements. To provide “fully informed
consent,” the City must be provided copies of all relevant documents for review. Attorneys
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shall receive written permission from the City prior to engaging other professionals to aid in
the representation, such as expert witnesses or consultants. Without such written consent,
Attorneys assume full responsibility for all costs invoiced by other professionals who were
hired by Attorneys.
Attorneys shall provide required updates to the following City staff at the email
addresses provided:
Krista Kolaz, Blythe Phillips
Risk Manager Assistant City Attorney
kkolaz@rentonwa.gov bphillips@rentonwa.gov
legaladmin@rentonwa.gov
If the Legal Services related to a claim that has been or will be filed with the City’s
insurer, Attorneys will provide written updates to the City’s insurer regarding the status of
the case unless the City and Attorneys agree otherwise in writing. The Renton City Attorney
or designee and the Risk Manager shall be copied on all updates to the insurer at the email
addresses provided above.
Failure of Attorneys to communicate with the City as required by this section is a
material breach of this Agreement.
3. Public Communications: Attorneys shall not issue any news releases or
make any statements to a member of the news media or the general public regarding the
Legal Services without the prior approval of the City Attorney.
4. Time of Performance: Attorneys shall commence performance of the
Agreement promptly and shall timely file and serve a notice of appearance pursuant to
applicable court rules. All Legal Services shall be performed by no later than December 31,
2026.
5. Compensation:
A. Maximum Amount. Total compensation to Attorneys for Legal Services
provided pursuant to this Agreement shall not exceed forty-nine thousand dollars
($49,000.00). Compensation shall be paid according to the rate(s) or amounts specified in
Attachment A.
Attorneys agree that any hourly or flat rate charged by Attorneys for Legal Services shall
remain locked at the negotiated rate(s) unless otherwise agreed to in writing. Attorneys will
bill for hours worked in furtherance of the Legal Services. Hours worked (i) as a result of an
internal transfer of attorneys during the course of representation under this Agreement, or
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(ii) preparing or reviewing Attorneys’ billings to the City or other internal firm quality control
procedures are not “in furtherance” of the Legal services within the meaning of this section.
When Attorneys are close to incurring the maximum amount of compensation under
this Agreement, or upon the City’s request, Attorneys will provide an updated estimate for
Attorneys’ fees and costs required to resolve the matter described in Section 1.
B. Reimbursement. Attorneys will not be reimbursed for job related
expenses except to the extent specifically agreed herein. Routine costs directly related to
the provision of the Legal Services, such as filing fees and other court costs, legal messenger
or process server costs, etc. may be reimbursed. Necessary travel expenses may be
reimbursable subject to the City’s written authorization and the City’s travel reimbursement
policy limitations. Fees and other expenses for expert consultants or witnesses will only be
reimbursed if Attorneys (i) obtain written prior approval from the City and (ii) include these
fees and expenses on Attorneys’ firm’s invoice, pursuant to subsection C of this section.
Other necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in litigation may be reimbursable with
prior written approval by the City.
C. Method of Payment. On a monthly or no less than quarterly basis,
Attorneys shall submit an invoice to the City staff in Section 2, including a description of
what Legal Services have been provided, the name of the personnel performing such Legal
Services, and any hourly labor charge rate for such personnel. The description of Legal
Services in the invoice should avoid revealing privileged or confidential information, and
should sufficiently identify individual tasks to avoid “block billing.” Invoices seeking
reimbursement for experts or consultants retained by Attorneys must be submitted to the
City on Attorneys’ firm’s invoice. The City cannot pay invoices issued directly from the expert
or consultant unless the City has separately contracted with that expert or consultant.
Payment shall be made by the City within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt and approval
by the appropriate City representative of the invoice.
D. Effect of Payment. Payment for any part of the Legal Services shall not
constitute a waiver by the City of any remedies it may have against Attorneys for failure of
Attorneys to perform Legal Services or for any breach of this Agreement by Attorneys.
E. Non-Appropriation of Funds. If sufficient funds are not appropriated or
allocated for payment under this Agreement for any future fiscal period, the City shall not be
obligated to make payments for Legal Services or amounts incurred after the end of the
current fiscal period, and this Agreement will terminate upon the completion of all remaining
Legal Services for which funds are allocated. No penalty or expense shall accrue to the City
in the event this provision applies.
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6. Notices: Any notice required under this Agreement will be in writing,
addressed to the appropriate party at the address which appears below (as modified in
writing from time to time by such party), and given personally, by registered or certified mail,
return receipt requested, by facsimile or by nationally recognized overnight courier service.
Time period for notices shall be deemed to have commenced upon the date of receipt,
EXCEPT facsimile delivery will be deemed to have commenced on the first business day
following transmission. Email and telephone may be used for purposes of administering the
Agreement, but should not be used to give any formal notice required by the Agreement.
CITY OF RENTON
Krista Kolaz
Phone: (425) 430-7669
kkolaz@rentonwa.gov
Blythe Phillips
Phone: (425) 430-6493
bphillips@rentonwa.gov
legaladmin@rentonwa.gov
1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
ATTORNEYS
Geoffrey Grindeland
400 Winslow Way E, Suite 230
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Phone: (206) 502-2511
geoff@seamarklaw.com
7. Termination:
A. Each Party has the right to terminate this agreement subject to
applicable notice requirements and other restrictions set forth in the court rules or
applicable law. In the event of such termination, all finished or unfinished documents, data,
studies, worksheets, models and reports, or other material prepared by the Attorneys
pursuant to this Agreement shall be submitted to the City.
B. In the event this Agreement is terminated by the City, the Attorneys
shall be entitled to payment for all hours worked to the effective date of termination, less all
payments previously made. This provision shall not prevent the City from seeking any legal
remedies it may have for the violation or nonperformance of any of the provisions of this
Agreement and such charges due to the City shall be deducted from the final payment due
the Attorneys. No payment shall be made by the City for any expenses incurred or work done
following the effective date of termination unless authorized in advance in writing by the
City.
8. Warranties: Attorneys represent and warrant that Attorneys will perform all
Legal Services identified in this Agreement in a professional manner and in accordance with
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all professional standards and laws. The provisions of this section shall survive the
expiration or termination of this Agreement.
9. Record Maintenance: The Attorneys shall maintain accounts and records,
which properly reflect all direct and indirect costs expended and Legal Services provided in
the performance of this Agreement and retain such records for as long as may be required
by applicable Washington State records retention laws, but in any event no less than ten
years after the termination of this Agreement. The Attorneys agree to provide access to and
copies of any records related to this Agreement as required by the City to audit expenditures
and charges and/or to comply with the Washington State Public Records Act (Chapter 42.56
RCW). The provisions of this section shall survive the expiration or termination of this
Agreement.
10. Public Records Compliance:
A. Stipulations and Agreements. Attorneys shall familiarize themselves
with the Public Records Act and shall consider the City’s obligations thereunder when
considering strategy or entering stipulated motions or orders on behalf of the City.
Attorneys shall not, without the informed consent of the City, enter a stipulation or
agreement on behalf of the City which contains a confidentiality provision. Any such
agreement must be signed by a representative of the City to be binding upon the City.
B. Cooperation. To the full extent the City determines necessary to
comply with the Washington State Public Records Act, Attorneys shall make a due diligent
search of all records in their possession or control relating to this Agreement and the Legal
Services, including, but not limited to, e-mail, correspondence, notes, saved telephone
messages, recordings, photos, or drawings and provide them to the City for production.
Attorneys shall produce for distribution any and all records responsive to the Public Records
Act request in a timely manner, unless those records are protected by court order.
C. Indemnification. Attorneys shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless
the City for all costs, including attorneys’ fees, attendant to any claim or litigation related to
a Public Records Act request (i) for which Attorneys have responsive records and for which
Attorneys have withheld records or information contained therein, or not provided them to
the City in a timely manner; and (ii) arising from or related to records subject to a
confidentiality provision entered in violation of subsection A of this section.
D. The provisions of this section shall survive the expiration or
termination of this Agreement.
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11. Independent Contractor Relationship:
A. The Attorneys are retained by the City only for the purposes and to the
extent set forth in this Agreement. The nature of the relationship between the Attorneys and
the City during the period of the Legal Services shall be that of an independent contractor,
not employee. The Attorneys, not the City, shall have the power to control and direct the
details, manner or means of Legal Services within the parameters of applicable laws and
rules of professional responsibility.
B. The City shall not be responsible for withholding or otherwise
deducting federal income tax or Social Security or contributing to the State Industrial
Insurance Program, or otherwise assuming the duties of an employer with respect to
Attorneys or any employee of the Attorneys.
C. Attorneys shall furnish all tools and materials necessary to perform the
Legal Services except to the extent specifically agreed herein.
D. In the event special training, licensing, or certification is required for
Attorneys to provide Legal Services they will acquire or maintain such at their own expense
and, if Attorneys employ or otherwise assign the responsibility to perform the Legal Services,
said employee or assignee will acquire and or maintain such training, licensing, or
certification.
E. Attorneys are responsible for their own insurance, including, but not
limited to health insurance, and for their own Worker’s Compensation coverage as well as
that for any persons employed by the Attorneys.
12. Hold Harmless: The Attorneys agree to release, indemnify, defend, and hold
harmless the City, elected officials, employees, officers, representatives, and volunteers
from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, causes of action, arbitrations, mediations,
proceedings, judgments, awards, injuries, damages, liabilities, taxes, losses, fines, fees,
penalties, expenses, attorney’s or attorneys’ fees, costs, and/or litigation expenses to or by
any and all persons or entities, arising from, resulting from, or related to the negligent acts,
errors or omissions of the Attorneys in their performance of this Agreement or a breach of
this Agreement by Attorneys, except for that portion of the claims caused by the City’s sole
negligence.
13. Gifts and Conflicts: In compliance with the City’s Code of Ethics and state
law, the Attorneys shall not give a gift of any kind to City employees or officials. Attorneys
also confirm that Attorneys do not have a business interest or a close family relationship
with any City officer or employee who was, is, or will be involved in selecting the Attorneys,
negotiating or administering this Agreement, or evaluating the Attorneys’ performance of the
Legal Services.
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14. Insurance: Attorneys shall secure and maintain:
A. Professional Liability, Errors and Omissions coverage with minimum
limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and shall provide a certificate of insurance to the City
before providing Legal Services;
B. Workers’ compensation coverage, as required by the Industrial
Insurance laws of the State of Washington; and
C. Commercial Automobile Liability for owned, leased, hired or non-
owned, leased, hired or non-owned, with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence
combined single limit, if there will be any use of Attorneys’ vehicles on the City’s Premises
by or on behalf of the City, beyond normal commutes.
D. Attorneys shall provide the City with written notice of any policy
cancellation, within two (2) business days of their receipt of such notice.
15. Successors and Assigns: Neither the City nor the Attorneys shall assign,
transfer or encumber any rights, duties or interests accruing from this Agreement without
the written consent of the other.
16. Discrimination Prohibited: Attorney agrees as follows:
A. Attorneys, and Attorneys’ agents, employees, representatives, and
volunteers with regard to the Legal Services performed or to be performed under this
Agreement, shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, nationality,
creed, marital status, sexual orientation or preference, age (except minimum age and
retirement provisions), honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of
any sensory, mental or physical handicap, unless based upon a bona fide occupational
qualification in relationship to hiring and employment, in employment or application for
employment, the administration of the delivery of Legal Services or any other benefits under
this Agreement, or procurement of materials or supplies.
B. The Attorneys will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are
considered and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race,
creed, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, physical, sensory or mental
handicaps, or marital status. Such action shall include, but not be limited to the following
employment, upgrading, demotion or transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff
or termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training.
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C. If the Attorneys fail to comply with any of this Agreement’s non-
discrimination provisions, the City shall have the right, at its option, to cancel the Agreement
in whole or in part.
D. The Attorneys are charged with knowledge of and compliance with all
federal, state and local laws and regulations that may affect the satisfactory completion of
the project, which includes but is not limited to fair labor laws, worker's compensation, and
Title VI of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, and will comply with City of Renton Council
Resolution Number 4085.
17. Miscellaneous:
A. Approval Authority. Each individual executing this Agreement on
behalf of a Party hereto represents and warrants that the individual is duly authorized to
execute and deliver this Agreement on behalf of the Party.
B. General Administration and Management. The City’s contract
managers are identified in Section 6 above. In providing Legal Services, Attorneys shall
coordinate with the City’s contract manager or the manager’s designee.
C. Amendment and Modification. This Agreement may be amended only
by an instrument in writing, duly executed by both Parties.
D. Conflicts. Any exhibits/attachments to this Agreement are
incorporated by reference only to the extent of the purpose for which they are referenced
within this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly agreed, to the extent an exhibit conflicts
with the terms in the body of this Agreement or contains terms that are extraneous to the
purpose for which the exhibit is referenced, the terms in the body of this Agreement shall
prevail and the extraneous terms shall not be incorporated herein.
E. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be made in and shall be governed
by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington and the City of
Renton. Attorneys and all of the Attorneys’ employees shall perform the Legal Services in
accordance with all applicable federal, state, county and city laws, codes and ordinances.
F. Joint Drafting Effort. This Agreement shall be considered for all
purposes as prepared by the joint efforts of the Parties and shall not be construed against
one party or the other as a result of the preparation, substitution, submission or other event
of negotiation, drafting or execution.
G. Jurisdiction and Venue. Any lawsuit or legal action brought by any party
to enforce or interpret this Agreement or any of its terms or covenants shall be brought in
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the King County Superior Court for the State of Washington at the Maleng Regional Justice
Center in Kent, King County, Washington, or its replacement or successor. Attorneys
hereby expressly consents to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction and venue of such
court even if Attorneys is a foreign corporation not registered with the State of Washington.
H. Severability. A court of competent jurisdiction’s determination that
any provision or part of this Agreement is illegal or unenforceable shall not cancel or
invalidate the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect.
I. Sole and Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire
agreement of the Parties and any representations or understandings, whether oral or
written, not incorporated are excluded.
J. Time is of the Essence. Time is of the essence of this Agreement and
each and all of its provisions in which performance is a factor. Adherence to completion
dates set forth in the description of the Legal Services is essential to the Attorneys’s
performance of this Agreement.
K. Third-Party Beneficiaries. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to, nor
shall be construed to give any rights or benefits in the Agreement to anyone other than the
Parties, and all duties and responsibilities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement will be for
the sole and exclusive benefit of the Parties and no one else.
L. Binding Effect. The Parties each bind themselves, their partners,
successors, assigns, and legal representatives to the other party to this Agreement, and to
the partners, successors, assigns, and legal representatives of such other party with
respect to all covenants of the Agreement.
M. Waivers. All waivers shall be in writing and signed by the waiving party.
Either party’s failure to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall not be a waiver and
shall not prevent either the City or Attorneys from enforcing that provision or any other
provision of this Agreement in the future. Waiver of breach of any provision of this Agreement
shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any prior or subsequent breach unless it is expressly
waived in writing.
N. Counterparts. The Parties may execute this Agreement in any number
of counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, and all of which will together
constitute this one Agreement.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have voluntarily entered into this Agreement as
of the date last signed by the Parties below.
CITY OF RENTON
By:_____________________________
ATTORNEYS
By:____________________________
David E. Topaz
Administrator, Human Resources and
Risk Management
Geoffrey Grindeland
Managing Member, Seamark
Law Group, PLLC
_____________________________
Date
_____________________________
Date
Blythe Phillips, Assistant City Attorney
______________________
avid E Topaz
October 15, 2025 October 15, 2025
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
G ff G i d l d
Approved as to Legal Form
By: __________________________ Approved by Blythe Phillips via email 10/8/2025
Geoff Grindeland
geoff@seamarklaw.com
(206) 502-2511
Seamark Law Group PLLC | 400 Winslow Way E, Ste 230 | Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Seamark Law Group’s 2025 Hourly Rates
Municipal Clients
Name Position Hourly Rate
Geoff Grindeland Attorney $315
Gretchen Graham Salazar Attorney $315
Jesse Townsend Attorney $315
Nikki Carsley Attorney $300
Shelby Carroll Summer Associate $175
Nicole Hashmeh Paralegal $155
Lisa Kopecky Paralegal $155
Exhibit A