Council confirms five‑year Westlaw contract to cover county legal research needs

Brian Harnack, director of the Department of Law and Risk Management, presented a five‑year contract with Thomson Reuters for Westlaw legal research services covering roughly 200 users across county offices and courts. He said the contract total is not to exceed $739,133.28 over five years and that locking in the price avoids higher future costs; Harnack described the per‑user first‑year cost as roughly $53.55 per month for active users.

Council asked whether the contract includes AI products; Harnack said the county is not subscribing to Westlaw's AI products at this time and that any AI use by county attorneys must be approved by the Office of Information Technology per county policy. The discussion included council and staff concerns about AI‑generated legal filings and the risk of 'hallucinations'—computer‑generated fictitious cases—requiring attorneys to verify sources. The council moved to suspend the rules and adopt the professional services contract; the motion carried with 'Aye' votes in the transcript.