Law department outlines heavy caseloads, FOIA backlog and AI pilot in budget hearing

The Budget, Finance and Audit standing committee heard a detailed law department budget presentation March 23 as Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett described the offices workload and priorities. Mallett said the department is handling dozens of active matters across divisions, including 30 appeals, a specialized tax-appeals docket (211 handled in 2025), and 192 open blight cases managed by seven attorneys.

Mallett detailed the blight units enforcement activity, citing weekend joint work with Buildings & Code Enforcement (BC) and Detroit Police Department on unlicensed or youth-directed retail and business-closure requests that arrive on Mondays. He said the department also managed 211 tax disputes, 60 commercial nuisance abatement cases, 19 FOIA suits (in addition to routine FOIA processing) and other enforcement work that affects neighborhood quality of life.

On public-records work, Mallett reported the law department handled 11,752 FOIA requests and is piloting an artificial-intelligence project intended to speed processing; he said the department may later seek fee adjustments tied to automation costs. Mallett also provided litigation totals (388 active cases, with 161 settlements last year) and cited several recent wins he said reduced potential jury exposures.

Mallett highlighted tenant-support and right-to-counsel work: of roughly 20,370 files opened, the department represented 16,296 tenants, and 8,600 tenants who received representation were ultimately able to remain housed, he said.

Members pressed for detail on staffing and resource allocation. Council member Scott Benson asked where new prosecution and FTE lines would appear in the proposed budget to support a municipal misdemeanor-prosecution initiative; Mallett said the department plans cross-training and hires subject to the final budget and pledged to provide an org chart mapping proposed positions. Members also sought clarity about the blight staff count and coordination among departments; Mallett said the law department will serve as a coordinating entity for difficult cases and is exploring ordinance changes and data systems to identify abandoned or out-of-compliance properties.

The committee concluded the law department hearing by adding several closing-resolution items for further action, including tenant-protection coordination, AI governance, and targeted redevelopment work on identified corridors.