TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: Peter D. Lear, CPA, CGMA, City Manager
TITLE: Conflict Waiver for Greenberg Traurig, the City's state lobbyist
Recommended Action
Authorize the City Manager to sign the Conflict Waiver for Greenberg Traurig to represent private placement lenders in relation to funding for the Atlanta Braves spring training facility.
Background Information
The City's state lobbying, Greenberg Traurig has requested that the City sign a Conflict Waiver, attachment 1, related to the Atlanta Braves spring training facility. Greenberg Traurig would like to also represent unnamed private placement lenders in relation to the West Villages Improvement District's issuance of fixed rate notes to fund the Atlanta Braves stadium facility.
Rule 4-1.7 of the Florida Bar Rules of Professional Conduct prohibits a lawyer from representing a client if that representation is directly adverse to the interests of another client because of the risk that the lawyer might favor one client's interests over another or might reveal or use one client's confidential information to the disadvantage of the other.
Section 2 of the conflict waiver states: "None of the attorneys at the Firm who works on the Matter has represented or is representing City on any of its past or current matters. None of the attorneys at the Firm who represent City will work on the Matter. The Firm will take reasonable steps to assure that sensitive, proprietary, confidential or privileged information of or about City will not be shared with, or disclosed to, Other Client or its affiliates."
Section 4 continues, "...the Firm agrees that it will not represent Other Client against City or any of City's affiliates in any litigation, arbitration, mediation or other proceeding arising out of or relating to the Matter."
Since the City's lobbying issues are unrelated to the issuance of notes to fund the Atlanta Braves spring training stadium, staff does not anti...
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