Posts Tagged ‘attorneys’

One Attorney for Multiple Local Governments?

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

How many local government clients are too many? If an attorney represents a county, is that attorney precluded from also representing a city in that county? What about representing multiple counties or multiple cities? These questions are of great concern to attorneys, of course, because of their professional responsibility obligations. But they should also be […]

“Approved as to Form”

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

I sometimes get questions about the ubiquitous “approved as to form,” which appears on official documents, signed by the local government attorney. Is this just typical boilerplate, or is it a legal requirement for a contract, ordinance, or other official document? And what exactly does it mean when the attorney approves something as to form?

“Stop Calling My Client!” Communication Between Opposing Counsel and Government Officials

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Can a local government attorney use North Carolina legal ethics rules to prevent opposing counsel from contacting government officials in the midst of a legal controversy?  Consider this hypothetical situation: Greta Gunslinger, a renowned litigation attorney, is representing a local developer in a lawsuit against the city over the denial of zoning approval for a major commercial development project.   Since filing the complaint, Greta […]