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State Law reference: Appointment of City Solicitor, MGL, c. 43, § 60.
[Ord. of 1-27-1970, § 1; Ord. of 1-12-1982; Ord. of 7-8-1986]
There shall be a City Solicitor. He shall be an attorney and counselor-at-law admitted to practice in the courts of the commonwealth. He shall act as the legal advisor and solicitor of the City, except to the extent that the Mayor may authorize or require the advice or services of such additional counsel as he may deem advisable. No fees for legal services shall be paid by the City except as authorized under this Article.
The City Solicitor shall be paid a salary in accordance with the compensation plan.
In addition thereto, there shall be a legal services account, to be funded by an appropriation of the Mayor and the City Council, from which the City Solicitor and other counsel hired by the Mayor shall be compensated for legal services. The City Solicitor shall submit billings each month to the City for legal services showing time accounting, but payment for services rendered shall be by agreement with the Mayor. However, no fees for legal services shall be paid by the City to the City Solicitor in excess of the amount of funds appropriated annually to this account except as otherwise authorized under this article.
There shall also be a litigation defense account, to be funded by an appropriation of the Mayor and City Council, from which the City Solicitor shall have the right to withdraw sums as legal fees, upon billings by the City Solicitor showing time accounting, at a rate approved by order of the City Council. Said litigation defense account shall be used to compensate the City Solicitor, or other outside counsel engaged hereunder, for legal efforts in defense of the City, before the Superior Court, the Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, or any court of the United States of America.
The City Solicitor shall examine all titles to property when so requested by the City Council or a City official. The City Solicitor shall give his written approval thereon as to form and manner of execution of all deeds, obligations, contracts, bonds, leases, conveyances, agreements and other legal instruments which may be necessary to carry out the purposes of any ordinance or order of the City Council or to which the City or its agents may be a party, and no such instrument shall be a binding obligation of the City unless so approved, but this sentence shall not apply to any bond or note evidencing a debt of the City. All orders for the laying out, discontinuance, change or improvement of streets or ways, or for the taking of lands for any municipal purposes whatsoever or for the assessment of betterments shall be submitted to his examination before the same are offered for enactment.
The City Solicitor shall commence and prosecute on behalf of the City all actions and other proceedings at law or in equity desired to be begun by the City or by any officer thereof, and shall defend all actions and suits brought against the City. He shall appear as counsel in any other action, suit or prosecution which may involve the rights and interests of the City, and shall defend any of the officers of the City in suits or prosecutions against them for any official action or arising out of the performance of any official duty, when any estate, right, privilege, ordinance, act or order of the City government may be brought in question. This provision shall not authorize him, however, to act on behalf of any such officer in proceedings brought under the Charter for his removal. He shall also appear as counsel before the Legislature of the commonwealth, or any committee thereof or any governmental department, whenever so requested by the City Council, concerning any matter in which the interest and welfare of the City may be directly or incidentally affected.
He shall, in all matters, do every professional act incident to the office which may be required of him by the City Council, or by any ordinance or order.
[Ord. of 9-8-2020]
The City Solicitor shall, whenever so required by the mayor, the City Council Body or any officer of the City government who may need the same in the discharge of official duty, furnish them with their his legal opinion, upon any subject touching the duties of their respective offices. Whenever the opinion is required to be in writing, the question submitted for their his consideration shall also be stated in writing.
[Ord. of 6-24-1980]
The City Solicitor may engage such secretarial-clerical assistance, as he deems appropriate, and such a person so engaged shall be compensated in grade PT-26 of Schedule B, Part V of the compensation plan.