Agenda Item
i. RFP 26-720 Employment Matter Legal Services/Agreements with Law Firms (Not to Exceed $850,000)
Summary: Presented by: Mr. H. Eric Hilton, Chief Legal Officer, Office of Legal Affairs
Request: It is requested that the DeKalb County Board of Education (“Board”) approve the contract Award for RFP 26-720 for the following law firms:
1. Denmark Ashby Matricardi LLC;
2. Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP; and
3. The Employment Law Solution, LLC.
Why: The DeKalb County School District (“District”) requires sound legal advice on various issues related to employment matters. Therefore, it is prudent for the District to retain a panel of law firms that are available to represent the District on an as-needed basis and based on the specific legal needs of the District. The approval of employment matter legal service providers will enable the District to continue the efficient provision of legal services for employment matters on an as-needed basis.
Details: This request is pursuant to the District’s Request for Proposal (“RFP”) 26-720, entitled Employment Matters Legal Services. That RFP noted that the selected law firms will be expected to provide advice to the District, during business and non-business hours, in the areas of employment, fair dismissal, and non-renewal. The RFP stated that various issues arise during the course of business involving matters that will require guidance and advice from legal counsel. Because such services, at times, represent emergency situations, legal counsel will be expected to return a telephone call, or email, to the District without undue delay.
With the approval of the District’s Procurement Department, RFP 26-720 was properly posted to required sources and provided to a number of local legal associations. The following is a summary of the additional sourcing efforts for RFP 26-720:
1. Posted to IonWave on January 22, 2026;
2. Advertised in the Champion Newspaper on January 22, 2026, and January 29, 2026;
3. Electronic notification was sent to 13 vendors from the District’s Vendor Bid List;
4. Electronic notification was sent to 453 vendors through the State of Georgia Procurement Registry; and
5. Electronic notification was sent to 759 vendors through IonWave.
In response to the solicitation, seven (7) proposals were received by the February 19, 2026, deadline, and six (6) proposals were deemed responsive. These responsive proposals were:
1. Denmark Ashby Matricardi, LLC;
2. Drew Eckl & Farnham, LLP;
3. Fox Rothchild, LLP;
4. Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, LLP;
5. Sanders Roberts LLP; and
6. The Employment Law Solution, LLC.
RFP 26-720 provides that the contract for legal services will contain four (4) one-year extension options. Therefore, an evaluation committee was formed to review the proposals. The members of the evaluation committee met on March 19, 2026, to discuss the law firms that submitted proposals, score each law firm and recommend legal service vendors to provide employment matter legal services to the District. After discussion, the evaluation committee recommended that the following law firms be approved to provide employment matter legal services to the District on an as-needed basis:
1. Denmark Ashby Matricardi, LLC;
2. Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, LLP; and
3. The Employment Law Solution, LLC.
Financial impact: $850,000
The account code from which the expense will be paid is 100.2300.530002.00011.7080.9990.8010.080.0000
Contact: Mr. H. Eric Hilton, Chief Legal Officer, Office of Legal Affairs, 678.676.0159
Mr. Glinton R. Darien, Jr., Director of Legal Affairs, Office of Legal Affairs, 678.676.0403
Effective: Upon Board Approval
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
March 18, 2026
RE: Sourcing Efforts Letter – RFP 26-720 Employment Matters Legal Services
Mr. Eric Hilton,
Since the procurement process is constantly evolving and improving, the Procurement Department has
developed a new customer service feature. The Procurement Department is now providing a summary
of sourcing efforts to the internal client for RFP 26-720 Employment Matters Legal Services.
The Procurement Department’s efforts include:
1) RFP 26-720 was posted to IonWave on January 22, 2026.
2) RFP 26-720 was advertised in the Champion Newspaper on January 22, 2026, and January 29,
2026.
3) Electronic notification sent to 13 vendors from the DCSD Vendor Bid List.
4) Electronic notification sent to 453 vendors through the State of GA Procurement Registry.
5) Electronic notification sent to 759 vendors through IonWave.
If you are aware of any additional sourcing engines, please let us know so we may include those in our
process.
Seven (7) proposals were received and six (6) deemed responsive to the requirements of the
solicitation.
Please feel free to reach out to me at 678-676-0120 with any questions or concerns.
Regards,
Carla L. Smith
Carla L. Smith
Executive Director, Vendor Services
CLS\WFC\SMA
c: Mr. Glinton Darien
Robert R. Freeman Administrative Complex
1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd | Stone Mountain, GA 30083
678.676.0110 | www.dekalbschoolsga.org