Guidance For Cities, Towns And Villages As General And Special Counsel

Daniels, Porco and Lusardi, LLP is available to serve your municipality as general counsel and as special counsel. The Firm’s municipal attorneys have represented numerous Hudson Valley cities, towns and villages over the course of many years and are acknowledged for our ability to do so successfully. DPL is prepared to serve municipalities as general counsel or as special counsel to assist your general counsel and municipal boards as a key team member to navigate the management of significant special legal matters.

Local officials and municipal attorneys often are faced with issues about compliance with state or federal regulations, litigated disputes and special projects that the municipality’s general counsel may desire assistance with, or has a conflict and must recuse. Such matters often include:

• Consolidation, shared services and inter-municipal agreements;
• Capital projects, sewer and water financing and contracting;
• Organization and operation of special improvement districts;
• Property tax certiorari;
• Safe workplace filings;
• Land use applications of unusual size and scope;
• Code enforcement litigation;
• Public employee discipline, as hearing officer or prosecutor;
• Defense of planning and zoning board decisions in of litigation and Article 78 disputes;
• Disputes between the governing board and other boards.

Occasionally, disputes between local boards and officials lead to litigation. Since 1972, when the Court of Appeals of the state decided Cahn v. Town of Huntington, independent counsel may be required to be appointed if the dispute disqualifies the municipality’s general counsel. DPL would be qualified to represent one of the parties to such a multi-lateral dispute.