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Cost recovery is one of out primary specialties. We helped cities develop and successfully implement cutting -edge cost recovery procedures that ensure clients recover as much of their attorneys' fees, court costs and staff costs as possible. We do this by drafting and helping staff implement ordinances that maximize recovery of fees and costs incurred in every nuisance abatement action, whether the abatement takes the form of a criminal, civil, administrative or self - help. In addition, we consider cost recovery as a component in providing advice to our clients regarding enforcement strategy, and then implement those strategies during the enforcement action to guarantee the agency will be in the best position possible to recover all of its expenses. Often, following an abatement by judicial, administrative or other action, the strategy calls for an administrative hearing to confirm the agency's costs and fees. Once confirmed, those expenses are recovered via an array of remedies, including nuisance abatement liens, special assessments, wage gamishments, attachments, and recovery agreements. We also effectively utilize lis pendens and other title clouding measures to ensure the City retains priority in property encumbrances and to help ensure recovery. Administrative proceedings can also be a cost - effective and minimally adversarial method to abate nuisances, handle appeals of administrative citations, liens and assessments, and meet due process requirements. We have handled numerous such matters for cities from inception through the appellate courts with excellent results. In one recent example, we successfully defended a city against two appeals of an administrative citation, then obtained a court order awarding the city its attorneys' fees involved in the process. We are up to date on the legal requirements for these hearings, including Nightlife / .Quintero issues, Fort Bragg revocation and expiration constraints and due process requirements. Our services to the City would include helping staff identify when administrative hearings are appropriate or required, helping ensure the City's administrative procedures are followed, preparing briefings for the hearings, representing City staff at the hearings, and ensuring the City is well positioned in the event of a writ or appeal to the Superior Court, and then helping the City recover its costs and attorneys' fees. For these services, Silver & Wright proposes a blended of $179 per hour for attorneys and $100 per hour for paralegals and law clerks for any administrative proceedings related to appeals of administrative citations, nuisance abatement determinations and cost recovery. This rate includes file review, preparing briefs and correspondence, assisting City staff with administrative procedures and representing City staff at the initial administrative hearing and subsequent appeals. 5. Gun Confiscations RATE: $179 per hour. At Silver & Wright, we have worked with cities to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally incapacitated. We have the particular expertise required to navigate the procedural and legal requirements to succeed in gun confiscation cases. 4 251 -12