The Charlottesville Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) is casting a wide net to find an attorney to take on the role of its independent legal counsel.

Earlier in December, the Board issued a request for statements of interest (RFI) as a preliminary step to gauge potential candidates. Those who wish to be considered should email PCOB’s executive director, Inez Gonzalez, to learn more, said the Board’s outgoing chair, Bill Mendez.

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Candidates must be attorneys licensed to practice law in Virginia, in good standing with the Virginia State Bar, and have professional liability insurance, according to the request for statements of interest.

Mendez hopes this approach will help attract a diverse pool of candidates — and keep costs down.

“The idea is to get the RFI out widely so we can attract people who are not necessarily big dogs and who are going to charge $700 or $800 an hour. Or a thousand,” Mendez said during PCOB’s December meeting.

“And perhaps young, motivated up-and-coming attorneys might be very useful. And some academics, as well.”

The Board was established to provide an additional and independent level of oversight over the Charlottesville Police Department. To achieve this, the Board is allowed to retain independent legal counsel, either a law firm or an attorney, to “represent the board in all cases, hearings, controversies, or matters involving the interests of the board,” according to the City ordinance, as an addition to primarily legal counsel by the City Attorney’s Office. 

The independent counsel might be called upon to advise PCOB during certain hearings and other procedures, advise on potential changes to the Board’s policies and procedures as well as provide other legal services, if needed, according to the request for statement of interest.

The need for the new independent attorney emerged in April, when the PCOB’s previous independent legal counsel, the Richmond-based law firm Sands Anderson, stepped in as an interim Charlottesville City Attorney. 

According to Mendez, this dual role created a conflict of interest, though city officials did not agree. Nonetheless, the Board decided to find a new attorney.

To replace their independent legal counsel, the Board first considered options from a list created by the City Attorney’s Office. However, Board members said those options were too costly, during the October Board meeting. So, the City Attorney’s Office approved the request for statement of interest as a workaround.

The options approved by the City Attorney’s Office came with a “sticker shock” vice-chair Jeffrey Fracher’s said during the meeting — $800 an hour number was “floated” in discussions about the rates, he said. The PCOB’s annual budget was roughly $380,000 in 2024, and it projected to be closer to $400,000 in 2025, according to budget requests submitted to the city.

Responses to the request for interest will be accepted on a rolling basis until the Board identifies a number of qualified candidates to interview.

Take Action

The Charlottesville Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) is seeking independent legal counsel to represent the Board in hearings and advise on policies and procedures. Interested? Attorneys licensed in Virginia, in good standing, and with liability insurance can email Executive Director Inez Gonzalez at gonzalezi [AT] charlottesville [DOT] gov for information on how to apply.

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