Marshall Hires Chicago Firm for Fast-Track Demolition at $295 an Hour

Marshall City Council | August 24, 2026

Article Summary: The Marshall City Council on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, approved a legal services agreement with Chicago-based Denzin Soltanzadeh LLC to represent the city in fast-track demolition actions under 65 ILCS 5/11-31-1(e). The engagement letter sets hourly rates of $295 for partners, $235 for associates and $125 for paralegals, with no cap on total fees, and discloses a potential conflict involving the firm’s representation of a regional land bank.

Demolition Legal Services Key Points:

Rates: $295 per hour for partners, $235 for associates, $125 for paralegals and legal assistants, held through at least Dec. 31, 2026.

Four attorneys are named as primary: Brent Denzin, Caitlyn Sharrow, Joel Knosher and Mirna Bazi.

The firm discloses that it represents the Central Illinois Land Bank Authority, some of whose properties may be in Marshall, and seeks the city’s informed consent.

Greg King moved approval, seconded by Jarod Green; all council members voted in favor.

MARSHALL — The Marshall City Council on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, voted unanimously to approve a legal services agreement with Denzin Soltanzadeh LLC related to fast-track demolition, retaining the Chicago firm to represent the city in efforts to demolish properties under what the firm’s engagement letter calls the “fast-track demolition” statute, 65 ILCS 5/11-31-1(e).

King made the motion. Green seconded. The minutes record that upon roll call all council members voted in favor and the motion carried.

The engagement letter in the council’s agenda materials is dated July 21, 2026, signed by Caitlyn Sharrow of Denzin Soltanzadeh LLC, and addressed to the city at 201 S. Michigan Ave. It describes the scope of the engagement as representing the city “in its efforts to demolish properties identified by the City” under the statute, and states that the city may limit or expand the scope from time to time, provided any substantial expansion is agreed to by both parties. The letter names Laura Pearce and Joel Sims as the firm’s primary contacts on the work “unless otherwise directed by the Mayor.” Their city titles are not stated in the document.

Rates and Billing

Fees are determined by the type of service provided and time spent, the letter states. All legal services are billed at $295.00 per hour for partners, $235 per hour for associates and $125 per hour for paralegals and legal assistants. The firm agrees to maintain those rates “through at least December 31, 2026.”

The letter names Brent Denzin, Caitlyn Sharrow, Joel Knosher and Mirna Bazi as the primary attorneys assigned to perform the work. It contains no cap on total fees, no estimate of total cost, no retainer amount and no list of the properties the city intends to pursue.

The city will pay all third-party costs, the letter states, including title fees, recording fees and court filing fees. The firm may require the city to deposit sufficient funds in its IOLTA client trust account to cover anticipated third-party costs before performing services. Out-of-pocket expenses, disbursements and other charges are billed in addition to professional fees, with the firm agreeing to consult the city’s contacts before incurring anticipated expenses.

Invoices are prepared monthly and payment is due within 30 days of the statement date. Each monthly bill is to be fully itemized, including the initials of the individual performing each task, the date the work was performed, a description of the work and the time spent.

Either party may terminate the engagement at any time for any reason by written notice, subject on the firm’s part to applicable rules of professional responsibility.

Disclosed Conflict Involves a Land Bank

Under a heading labeled “Client Conflicts Disclosure,” the letter states that the firm currently represents the Central Illinois Land Bank Authority, referred to as CILBA. As legal counsel to CILBA, the letter says, the firm works to acquire and dispose of distressed properties, “some of which may be located in the City of Marshall.”

The letter states that CILBA typically seeks to partner with municipalities in efforts to revitalize abandoned properties and that the firm does not believe its limited representation of the city will conflict with its representation of CILBA. It nonetheless provides the notice “to inform the City of the potential conflict and to seek informed consent for those cases when CILBA and the City have interests in a parcel of property.”

The letter cites the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, under which the firm “may not represent a party if the representation involves a concurrent conflict of interest without the informed consent of all affected clients,” and invites the city to consider how the CILBA representation might affect it.

The minutes record no discussion of the conflict disclosure, and do not record whether the council’s approval was intended to constitute the informed consent the letter requests. The acceptance block at the end of the letter, with lines for a signature, title and date, is blank in the copy distributed with the agenda.