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CM-2026-115 - 4/17/2026 P. O. Box 546 Round Rock, Texas 78680 (512) 477-0100 bourland@bourlandlaw.com April 13, 2026 VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL Brooks Bennett Round Rock City Manager 221 East Main Street Round Rock, Texas 78664 Re: Engagement Agreement for Kelly Hall (Mayoral Election) Matter Dear Brooks: Please allow this letter to serve as an engagement agreement setting forth the terms under which the City of Round Rock (the “Client” and/or “you”) hires my firm for consultation and representation relating to the Kelly Hall matter. The following paragraphs outline the terms of our agreement. It is my distinct honor to be able to represent the City, and I look forward to working with you on this matter. This letter covers our billing practices and scope of representation. We do not charge for internal office expenses such as copying, long distance phone calls, fax charges, staff overtime, or other related overhead items. However, it is necessary for us to pass along charges incurred from outside vendors such as court reporters, process servers, expert witnesses, and copy services (for large copying projects), as well as court costs, filing fees, and travel costs required by your case. Additionally, if your case requires significant electronic research, you may be charged a fee for that service, which would be based on the duration of usage and discounted from the market rate set by the provider. Please understand that any outside-vendor invoices in an amount of $400.00 or above will be forwarded to you, and it is your responsibility to timely pay the vendors directly. You will still be responsible for outside charges that are less than $400.00, bu t we will pay those directly and they will be included as a pass -through expense on our monthly firm invoice. Each month, we will send an invoice that specifically sets forth all work that has been performed and any pass-through expenses that have been incurred for the month. At that time, we encourage you to closely scrutinize the invoice. Should you ever have any questions or concerns regarding our bills, I request that you let me know immediately so that I can have an opportunity to discuss your concerns and attempt to resolve them to your satisfaction. I will be the lead attorney working on this matter. However, if it becomes necessary or cost-effective to assign tasks to others to help me with your case, I will do so. The hourly rates for others who may assist with your case are: CM-2026-115 Engagement Agreement April 13, 2026 Page 2 of 4 Cindy Olson Bourland $675.00 Contract Attorneys Associate Attorneys $150.00-375.00 $150.00-375.00 Paralegals $100.00 Law Clerks $100.00 Legal Interns $ 50.00 The hourly fee amount is billed to our clients based on 1/10 of an hour increments . For example, 0.1 hours is equal to 6 minutes, 0.2 hours is equal to 12 minutes, etc. Additionally, we agree that my legal fees for this matter will not exceed a cap of $100,000. As the case advances and we prepare for any trial of this matter and any appeals, I will inform the City Attorney if and when the fees are getting close to that cap, so that any amount exceeding that cap could be approved in advance . Please understand that, given the likelihood of court proceedings that may take a substantial amount of time, such as hearings, discovery, pre-trial motions, briefing, and a final hearing of several days in district court, in addition to any interlocutory or final appeal s to the Third Court of Appeals and/or to the Supreme Court of Texas, it is possible that legal fees will reach or exceed that cap. It is impossible for me to predict right now how long this case will continue before final resolution and, consequently, I am unable to make an estimate of total future legal fees at this juncture. However, I will certainly inform you in advance before fees exceed the cap discussed herein, so that the City can decide how to proceed. Given the scope of the matter involved in this representation, it also may be necessary to associate with or bring in other various legal and economic specialists. Should that become advantageous or necessary to best serve the City’s needs in this matter, I will make such a recommendation and will work with the City Attorney to choose such specialists. The cost or fees of any such associated counsel or expert will be borne by the Client and any such cost or fees will not be counted toward the legal fees cap discussed in the paragraph above Invoices are due upon receipt and checks should be made payable to “Bourland Law Firm, P.C.” Payments may be mailed to the P.O. Box address listed on this letterhead or you may use the option for electronic payment available if that is more convenient. The place of performance of this agreement is Williamson County, Texas. All fees and expenses are payable at the address of the law firm. The Client agrees and acknowledges that the law firm has not made any representation or guarantee as to the outcome of this case, and that the nature of such representation and/or litigation makes it very hard to predict any total amount of legal fees that will be incurred or any particular outcome. Please also be advised that the Client may discharge the law firm at any time. If the Client becomes displeased or dissatisfied with the legal services provided, the Client shall give prompt written notice to the law firm. The Client and the law firm will make all reasonable efforts to resolve any problem that arises. If no resolution is reached, the law firm will withdraw at the Client’s written request. Also, please be advised that the State Bar of Texas provides a grievance process available to clients w ho are dissatisfied with their attorneys. Information about this is available online and on the State Bar’s website: Engagement Agreement April 13, 2026 Page 3 of 4 https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Grievance_and_Ethics_Informati on1&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=23454 . The law firm may also withdraw from representation of the Client for any of the following reasons: the Client fails to pay fees or expenses required by this agreement; the Client fails to cooperate or comply with any reasonable request of the law firm; th e Client engages in conduct that makes it unreasonably difficult for the law firm to carry out the purposes of its representation; and/or the Client fails to abide by any of the terms of this agreement. In addition, the Client agrees that the law firm may withdraw if the Client fails to pay an invoice in full or to replenish a retainer (when applicable) within sixty (60) days. Before the law firm withdraws from representation of the Client, the law firm shall give the Client ten (10) days’ written notice. It is our law firm policy to maintain your documents and files in electronic form for a period of two (2) years after the conclusion of our representation. We do not store or maintain paper copies of files or documents after the conclusion of your case unless you request in writing that we store your originals of important written docu ments such as contracts or wills. You hereby authorize us to destroy your electronic files two (2) years from the conclusion of your case, unless you instruct us otherwise before the end of that time. It is my intention to zealously represent the City in this matter. With that goal in mind, however, I am also very careful to follow the ethical guidelines as well as the local customs and practices for the various jurisdictions in Texas. If a situation ever arises where we think that the actions being re quested by the Client violate any of these rules or customs, we will inform you. To ensure that there is no confusion regarding our fee agreement, please sign this letter in the space provided below. This agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties and there are no terms of our agreement that are not contained in this writte n agreement. Should you have any questions or comments regarding this agreement, please contact me before you sign it so that we can discuss them. Also, please do not hesitate to contact me if you need additional information. Sincerely, BOURLAND LAW FIRM, P.C. Cindy Olson Bourland COB/dp Engagement Agreement April 13, 2026 Page 4 of 4 AGREED: City of Round Rock, Texas By: _________________________________ Brooks Bennett, Round Rock City Manager