Legal Invoices with accompanying emails or cover letters for 2025-2026 (1/1/25 thru 7/31/26)
Dear Morris County,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-5(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
Legal invoices for all legal services provided to the Morris County Prosecutors Office (MCPO) by ALL outside legal counsel from January 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026. (one (1) year seven (7) months timeframe)
If these invoices were transmitted to Morris County by way of email or other electronic means then I am also requesting, and you are to provide, the accompanying sender's email (the actual email(s) from the vendor/attorney's office to the receiving individual at Morris County, and then their respective included attachment(s), which would presumably be the invoices)
If your office receives these legal invoices by way of US Mail, UPS, FedEx, Facsimile, or any other means of transmittal to your office then I am also requesting, and you are to provide, the cover letters included with the invoices as well.
If your office receives these invoices from a law firm by both means described above, you are to provide both.
Please don’t hesitate to ask for clarification if you need it!
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Stephen Jones
Dear Morris County,
On August 6, 2026 I sent you the following OPRA request:
Legal invoices for all legal services provided to the Morris County Prosecutors Office (MCPO) by ALL outside legal counsel from January 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026. (one (1) year seven (7) months timeframe)
If these invoices were transmitted to Morris County by way of email or other electronic means then I am also requesting, and you are to provide, the accompanying sender's email (the actual email(s) from the vendor/attorney's office to the receiving individual at Morris County, and then their respective included attachment(s), which would presumably be the invoices)
If your office receives these legal invoices by way of US Mail, UPS, FedEx, Facsimile, or any other means of transmittal to your office then I am also requesting, and you are to provide, the cover letters included with the invoices as well.
If your office receives these invoices from a law firm by both means described above, you are to provide both.
Your office should normally have responded promptly, and by no later than August 17, 2026.
Please advise on the status of my request.
Yours faithfully,
Stephen Jones
Thank you for registering with Morris County Public Records Center.
Your Login ID is: [OPRA #94140 email]
If you did not submit your request through the public portal but are receiving
this e-mail, an account has been created for you where you can track and monitor
the status of your request, and receive any documents in response to your
request.
If you have never used this system or cannot remember your password you may
request a temporary password here: [1]Request Temporary Password
Please login to [2]My Request Center to update your account information, track
the status of your request and receive requested records when they become
available.
Thank you for registering with Morris County OPRA Center.
This is an auto-generated email and has originated from an unmonitored email
account. Please DO NOT REPLY.
References
Visible links
1. https://morriscountynj.mycusthelp.com/WE...
2. https://morriscountynj.mycusthelp.com/WE...
Dear Stephen Jones:
Thank you for your interest in open public records of Morris County OPRA Center.
Your request has been received and is being processed in accordance with the
Open Public Records Act (OPRA). Your request was given the reference number
C011560-082126 for tracking purposes.
Records Requested: Dear Morris County,
On August 6, 2026 I sent you the following OPRA request:
Legal invoices for all legal services provided to the Morris County Prosecutors
Office (MCPO) by ALL outside legal counsel from January 1, 2025 to July 31,
2026. (one (1) year seven (7) months timeframe)
If these invoices were transmitted to Morris County by way of email or other
electronic means then I am also requesting, and you are to provide, the
accompanying sender's email (the actual email(s) from the vendor/attorney's
office to the receiving individual at Morris County, and then their respective
included attachment(s), which would presumably be the invoices)
If your office receives these legal invoices by way of US Mail, UPS, FedEx,
Facsimile, or any other means of transmittal to your office then I am also
requesting, and you are to provide, the cover letters included with the invoices
as well.
If your office receives these invoices from a law firm by both means described
above, you are to provide both.
Your office should normally have responded promptly, and by no later than August
17, 2026.
Please advise on the status of my request.
Yours faithfully,
Stephen Jones
Your request will be forwarded to the relevant County department(s) to locate
the information you seek and to determine the volume and any costs associated
with satisfying your request. You will be contacted about the availability
and/or provided with copies of the records in question. PLEASE NOTE: The State
Public Information Act does not require a governmental body to create new
information, to do legal research, or to answer questions.
You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you'll
receive an email when your request has been completed. Again, thank you for
using the Morris County OPRA Center.
County of Morris, NJ
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To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the [1]Morris
County OPRA Center.
References
Visible links
1. https://u8387795.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/clic...
--- Please respond above this line ---
RE: OPRA REQUEST of Reference # C011560-082126
Dear Mr. Jones:
The County of Morris received a public records request from you on August 21,
2026. Specifically, you requested:
“Dear Morris County,
On August 6, 2026 I sent you the following OPRA request:
Legal invoices for all legal services provided to the Morris County Prosecutors
Office (MCPO) by ALL outside legal counsel from January 1, 2025 to July 31,
2026. (one (1) year seven (7) months timeframe)
If these invoices were transmitted to Morris County by way of email or other
electronic means then I am also requesting, and you are to provide, the
accompanying sender's email (the actual email(s) from the vendor/attorney's
office to the receiving individual at Morris County, and then their respective
included attachment(s), which would presumably be the invoices)
If your office receives these legal invoices by way of US Mail, UPS, FedEx,
Facsimile, or any other means of transmittal to your office then I am also
requesting, and you are to provide, the cover letters included with the invoices
as well.
If your office receives these invoices from a law firm by both means described
above, you are to provide both.
Your office should normally have responded promptly, and by no later than August
17, 2026.
Please advise on the status of my request.
Yours faithfully,
Stephen Jones”
The County of Morris has reviewed its files and has determined there are no
responsive documents to your request. The records you are seeking may (or may
not) exist with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office (an independent agency).
I have provided the link to their OPRA form for your convenience. I hope this
is helpful.
[1]Prosecutor's Office -
[2]https://morriscountynj.seamlessdocs.com/...
Your OPRA request is now deemed answered and closed. Thank you for your
attention to this matter.
If you have any questions, or wish to discuss this further, you may contact my
office at (973) 829-8126.
Sincerely,
Sheila M. Leary, CPM
Administration
To the extent that you have also requested access to the above government
records under the common law, your stated interest in obtaining the records must
be balanced against the County of Morris’ interest in nondisclosure. See Loigman
v. Kimmelman, 102 N.J. 98 (1986). The foregoing response to your request for
access to government records incorporates the aforementioned balancing
test. Please note that "a party's status as a litigant does not enlarge its
access to government records under OPRA”. MAG Entm't, LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic
Beverage Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 545-46 (App. Div. 2005). The County of
Morris reserves the right to raise any other grounds for denial not raised in
this response. Failure of the County of Morris to assert an exemption or
privilege does not act as a waiver of any grounds for denial. Furthermore, a
reviewing Court or the Government Records Council ("GRC") may deem a denial of
access to be authorized on grounds other than those advanced by a custodian. See
Paff v. Twp. of Plainsboro, A-2122-05T2, 2007 WL 957289, at *2 (App. Div., Apr.
2, 2007), affirming, Paff v. Township of Plainsboro, GRC Complaint No. 2005-29
(March 2006). If your request for access to a government record has been denied
or unfilled, you have a right to challenge the decision by the County of Morris
to deny access. At your option, you may either initiate a proceeding in the
Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with the GRC by completing the
Denial of Access Complaint Form. You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone
at 866-850-0511, by mail at P.O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at
[3][email address], or on its website at [4]www.state.nj.us/grc. The GRC can
also answer other questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints
filed in Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
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To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the [5]Morris
County OPRA Center.
References
Visible links
1. https://u8387795.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/clic...
2. https://u8387795.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/clic...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://u8387795.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/clic...
5. https://u8387795.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/clic...