[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council
of the Township of West Milford as indicated in article histories.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 10-10-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-026]
Prior to being hired, any attorney who applies
for a legal position within the Township of West Milford and/or its
boards, committees or other agencies of the municipality shall complete
and execute both an attorney ethics history certification and a disciplinary
authorization and release form, or other superseding form promulgated
by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, Office of Attorney Ethics.
A.Â
The attorney ethics history certification form shall
be a form adopted by the governing body of the Township of West Milford
and shall cause the licensed legal professional to certify, under
oath, the prior ethics history of that professional. The certification
shall also state that the professional understands that any discrepancy
ultimately discovered between the certification and the release forms
may constitute cause for removal from such position, as authorized
by the governing body of the Township of West Milford. The certification
form shall be certified to and completed by the licensed legal professional
during the application process and submitted to the Township Clerk
to be kept on file as part of his/her application, and shall be considered
a public document by the Township. The certification form, however,
shall be returned to the licensed legal professional in the event
the professional is not hired by the Township of West Milford.
B.Â
The release form shall grant authorization to the
Township of West Milford to request from the Office of Attorney Ethics,
a certificate of ethical conduct or other superseding certificate,
relating to the licensed legal professional's ethics history. The
form shall be executed by the licensed legal professional during the
application process and shall be submitted to the Township Clerk for
proper forwarding to the Office of Attorney Ethics. Upon receipt by
the Township Clerk of the certificate of ethical conduct or other
superseding certificate and any documents relating to the professional's
ethics history, the documents shall be kept on file as part of his/her
personnel record and shall be considered a public document by the
Township. The documents, however, shall be returned to the licensed
legal professional in the event the professional is not hired by the
Township of West Milford.
The provisions in § 31-1 of this article shall apply to consideration of the appointments and reappointments to the following offices: Township Attorney, Township Prosecutor, Municipal Court Judge, Public Defender, Planning Board Attorney, Board of Adjustment Attorney, Bond Attorney, Labor Attorney, as well as the attorneys for other commissions, committees, boards, authorities and other agencies. In addition, the provisions of § 31-1 of this article shall also apply to any licensed legal professional working in the law firm of the individual(s) appointed or retained by the Township who provides the Township with legal services in conjunction with the appointed or retained individual(s).
Any licensed legal professional within the scope
of this article who does not comply with the provisions contained
herein may not be considered for appointment or reappointment to the
Township by the Mayor and Council, or by the Planning Board, Board
of Adjustment or any other board or agency.
This article shall not apply to licensed legal
professionals who have already been appointed or retained by the Township
prior to the article's passage; instead, the licensed legal professionals
who are subsequently appointed or retained by the Township after this
article's passage shall be subject to the provisions of this article.
This article shall not apply to substitute judges, prosecutors or
public defenders that appear in the West Milford Township Municipal
Court.
