By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

THE Commonwealth Ports Authority has hired an in-house attorney who will start working for CPA today.
Joe Bermudes, the chief counsel of the Legislative Bureau, has accepted the $70,000 contract subject to the austerity paycut law.
CPA Executive Director Clyde Norita told Variety on Friday that Bermudes was among the two candidates who applied for the position.
“He accepted the contract offer of $70,000 annually minus the 10 percent cut,” Norita said, adding that Bermudes resigned from the Legislative Bureau last week.
His contract with CPA will be on an annual basis.
Following the resignation of former legal counsel Douglas Cushnie in December, CPA hired its collection and account attorney, Robert T. Torres, to be the agency’s temporary lawyer.
Torres’s rate has been $175 an hour and he received a retainer of 10 hours monthly, or $1,750. For work from 10 to 40 hours, he is paid $150 hour and $100 beyond the 40 hours.
Cushnie was paid $225 an hour and received $430,000 last year for his work over 11 months.
Norita said he will meet Torres and Bermudes today to discuss their workloads.
“We will turn over some of the work to our new in-house attorney because we have an understanding with Mr. Torres — he will focus on litigation and receivables once we have hired a staff attorney,” Norita said.
Bermudes, he added, will handle all the contract reviews.
“This is our way of reducing the cost of CPA’s legal services which was a big part of our expenses,” he said.
CPA has paid an estimated $2 million in professional services for its legal counsel and project consultants.
Norita said Bermudes was recommended by the panel that conducted the interview and assessment process. It is composed of personnel committee chairwoman Bobbie Yamada, human resource manager Kinai Santos and Torres.