(A) The Director of Law shall be an attorney at law admitted to practice in the State of Ohio. The Director shall be the legal advisor of and attorney and counsel for the City, and shall advise, counsel, and prepare proposed legislation at the direction of any member of any board or commission of the City, in matters relating to their official duties. The Director shall prepare or direct the preparation of all contracts, bonds, and other instruments in writing in which the City is concerned and shall endorse on each his or her approval of the form and correctness thereof. The Director shall appoint such number of assistants as Council may authorize and assign their duties. The Director of Law is authorized, solely and within his or her sound discretion and within the annual appropriation, to engage such outside counsel or experts as from time to time may be necessary to effectively represent the City.
(B) The Director of Law shall be responsible for the prosecution of all cases brought before the Municipal Court and shall perform any other duties prescribed by this Charter, by ordinance, or by general law.
(C) The Director of Law shall prosecute or defend for and on behalf of the City, all complaints, suits and controversies in which the City is a party, and such other suits, matters, and controversies as the Director shall by Council be directed to prosecute or defend. The Director of Law, in the defense or prosecution of litigation to which the City is a party, and in the exercise of his or her professional judgment, shall take all steps necessary and shall advise and consult the Council and the Mayor regarding the status and pending resolution of the litigation. Subject to the direction of the Mayor, the Director of Law is authorized to execute such documents on behalf of the City as necessary for the resolution of such litigation.
(D) Council or any member of Council, the Mayor, the director of any department, or any officer, board, or commission not included within a department, may request the opinion of the Director of Law upon any question of law involving their respective powers or duties.
(E) In addition to the duties imposed upon the Director of Law by this Charter or required of him or her by ordinance, the Director shall perform the duties that are imposed upon city directors of law by general law, beyond the competence of this Charter to alter or require.
(Amended November 3, 2009.)