For the first time, Framingham will have an in-house Legal Department
FRAMINGHAM — The city’s first in-house lawyer started work last week.
New City Solicitor Kathryn M. Fallon has more than 25 years of experience in Malden. The North Reading resident started as Malden's assistant city solicitor and served as city solicitor there for the last 15 years.
Fallon led a four-person legal team at her previous post, and Framingham officials indicated she will build an in-house legal team here.
Via email, Fallon said she is looking forward to many things about working in the city, including “working for Mayor (Charlie) Sisitsky, getting to know my colleagues who are serving the Framingham community, getting to know the elected officials who are serving the Framingham community, getting to know the members of the Framingham community and learning as much as I can about Framingham’s history.”
Earlier: City Solicitor Chris Petrini to retire after more than 20 years of service
According to a budget narrative for fiscal 2023, the city proposed employing four people in its newly formed legal department: an in-house solicitor appointed by the mayor, an assistant city solicitor, a city attorney and a paralegal or administrative staff member.
Fallon confirmed this is still the vision for the department.
According to Ryan Egan, the public information officer for the city, Fallon's starting salary is $175,000. Her duties include representing the city on a wide range of issues, from zoning appeals to contracts to representing the city in court.
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“Kathryn’s accomplished and tenured career in municipal law speaks for itself," said Mayor Charlie Sisitsky, in a statement. "I am confident in her abilities as a legal professional and eager for her to join our growing team.”
Malden native, North Reading resident
Fallon serves as chair of the North Reading Select Board, for which she uses her married name, Manupelli. She's a Malden native and attended Malden public schools, Girls Catholic High School, and earned her undergraduate degree at Merrimack College in North Andover, according to a campaign statement when she ran for the Select Board. She later earned a law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law.
To prepare for the Framingham job, Fallon has read the city charter, general ordinances, watched City Council meetings and the 2022 state of the city address, reviewed action items from the mayor’s office and read through cases involving Framingham and looked up lots of information on the city, among other research.
“You are asking someone who really enjoys working as a city solicitor, who steeps herself in her place of work and who is looking forward to serving the city of Framingham,” she said.
She noted that Framingham is going through a cultural shift, due to the transition from town to city municipal government. She has experience in both.
Previously, Framingham had contracted out legal services.
Christopher J. Petrini and his associates at Petrini & Associates had served as Framingham's solicitor since 2001, first as town counsel and then as city solicitor when Framingham adopted a city form of government. He retired on June 30.
Sisitsky seeks in-house legal help
Sisitsky went before the City Council in May to request creating an in-house job for city solicitor. With the contract for Petrini & Associates set to expire June 30, Sisitsky said he intended to advertise for the position and have an attorney “on board by July 1.”
Sisitsky must now return to City Council to get the remaining positions in the new Legal Department approved.
“We will then have that new city solicitor be part of the process of creating the rest of the department,” Sisitsky said at the City Council meeting in May.
Framingham Chief Financial Officer Louise Miller said there is still more than $150,000 in that budget for outside legal services as needed. This allows the city to still contract out for specialized consulting, such as representing the city on environmental issues.
During the May City Council meeting, several city councilors commended Sisitsky for the cost-saving aspect of switching legal counsel to in-house: the budget for the in-house Legal Department is about 20% less than the previous contract, a savings of about $135,000 for the city. The recommended fiscal 2023 budget for the legal department was $600,000.
At-large City Councilor George King noted at the time that Framingham was one of just a few Massachusetts municipalities that didn’t have an in-house legal department.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel,” he said. “I’m confident from the preliminary analysis that it is going to save us money.”
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Kathryn Fallon is Framingham's first in-house city solicitor
