General Civil Unit
The General Civil Unit is made up of 18 attorneys, paralegals, and administrative support staff who are experienced in civil litigation, employment and contract law, and many specialized areas of public law. The Civil unit practices like a private law firm, answering civil complaint and engage in all aspects of litigation. We advise officials, and various departments, agencies, boards and commissions of Cuyahoga County on all legal matters.
We are the legal advisors for all Cuyahoga County boards, including the Common Pleas Judge, and for all tax-supported public libraries. Additional responsibilities include:
- Reviewing contracts
- Offering legal opinions on a wide variety of subjects
- Representing county agencies in litigation
Our broad range of responsibilities includes defending county officials in legal matters from civil rights lawsuits to subpoenas.
As legal advisors, we represent diverse agencies such as:
- Board of Mental Retardation
- Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board
- County Planning Commission
- Adult Protective Services
- Department of Children and Family Services
The civil unit also represents the County Board of Elections as well as the two remaining townships in Cuyahoga County.
We represent appointing authorities on personnel issues before the State Personnel Board of Review and the County Human Resources Commission, and we advise agencies on personnel issues.
We also advise the county on various real estate issues and labor agreements connected with building projects.
Civil unit attorneys appear in state and federal courts throughout the State of Ohio to represent Cuyahoga County’s interests.
We are charged with reviewing public records requests submitted to the various agencies and are responsible for making the determination between privacy issues and the public access to records.
We represent the county in court to protect at risk children as well as the at-risk elderly.