The Director of Law shall be the chief law officer of the Municipality. He shall be appointed by the Mayor, with the concurrence of a majority of the members of Council, and shall be immediately responsible to Council for the discharge of his respective duties. The Director of Law shall be duly admitted to the practice of law in the State of Ohio, shall have been engaged in the active practice of law continuously for a period of five (5) years next preceding his appointment and shall have been a resident and qualified elector of the Municipality for at least two (2) full years before he is elected to office. The Director of Law shall prepare all contracts, bonds and other instruments in writing in which the Municipality is concerned and shall serve as legal counsel and attorney for the various officers and heads of the Municipality in the performance of their official duties. When required to do so by resolution of Council, the Director of Law shall prosecute or defend, as the case may be, for and in behalf of the Municipality, all complaints, suits and controversies in which the corporation is a party, and such other suits, matters and controversies as he shall by resolution or ordinance be directed to prosecute; but shall not be required to prosecute any action for the violation of a municipal ordinance without first advising such action. In general and without limitation as to particularity, the Director of Law shall discharge the duties and functions of the Director of Law of a municipality.
The Director of Law shall serve for a term not longer than the term of the Mayor who appoints him/her. Council shall fix the rate and basis of compensation of the Director of Law.
(Amended 11-6-73; 11-3-98; 5-6-03; 3-2-04)
(Editor’s Note: The Ohio Supreme Court decided in Lima v. State, 122 Ohio St. 3d 155 (June 2009), that R.C. § 9.481 prevents municipalities from requiring its employees to reside in the municipality, other than as provided in R.C. § 9.481(B)(2)(b).)