New lawyer for Lenox

LENOX – The town is reaching out to a new firm to replace current town counsel, Attorney Frederica H. McCarthy.

Lenox Selectman Channing Gibson informed The Berkshire Beacon the board of selectmen have voted to authorize Town Manager Gregory T. Federspiel to reach out to the Law Firm of Kopelman and Paige, P.C., about being town counsel.

“The vote we took was to authorize him talking to them,” said Selectman Gibson in comments to The Beacon.

Currently, Kopelman and Paige is representing the town in the lawsuit filed by the 20 citizens over the Kennedy Park Belvedere.

Over the course of the Kennedy Park Belvedere controversy, Atty. McCarthy, out of Springfield, drew fire from those opposed to the Belvedere for her handling of their legal actions. Her contract is up this year.

Kopelman and Paige, whose main office is in Boston but has additional offices in Worcester, Northampton and Lenox, specializes in municipal law. Indeed, Kopelman and Paige currently represent over one-third of all cities and towns in Massachusetts as city solicitor or town counsel, including the towns of Dalton and Great Barrington.

The director of Kopelman and Paige’s western office is Janet Hetherwick Pumphrey, a former Lenox selectwoman and assistant city solicitor for the City of Pittsfield.

If Town Manager Federspiel’s upcoming discussions with Kopelman and Paige prove fruitful, the decision to switch town counsel will still have to be approved by the board of selectmen.

“We have to give that final approval,” said Selectman Gibson.

He thinks the switch over will be occurring at the beginning of next year.

“It’s anticipated that that will be happening Jan. 1,” Selectman Gibson said.

Posted by Bera B. Dunau on November 15, 2012. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry