(a) City Attorney and Council Notified of Legal Proceedings. Any Council member, officer, agent or employee of the City or of any agency, department, board or commission thereof who is served with original legal process or with notice of a claim or other potential legal proceedings affecting the interests of the City or any agency, department, board or commission thereof shall immediately deliver such legal process or notice or other communication, by whatever name, to the City Attorney, who shall take such action as is immediately necessary to protect the interest of the City and who shall report full particulars thereof to Council at its next regular or special meeting, with his confidential report and recommendation, if any, as to the proper course of action to be pursued.
(b) Unauthorized Legal Actions. Except as may be otherwise specified by the City Charter or by general law, no Council member, officer, agent or employee of the City or of any department, agency, board or commission thereof shall institute or undertake to defend legal proceedings in the name of the City or in the name of any board, commission or agency thereof without the prior authorization of Council, nor incur any financial obligation in connection with such legal proceedings for attorney's fees or otherwise without an appropriation having been made available in advance for such purpose by Council.
(c) Attorneys to Brief Council and City Attorney.
Except as may be otherwise provided by general law, any attorney prosecuting or defending legal proceedings in the name of the City or in thename of any agency, department, board or commission thereof shall, upon the request of Council's authorized representative, make available for inspection and copying all pleadings, correspondence or other documentation or physical objects involved in such legal proceedings and shall, upon request, provide to Council a confidential report describing and evaluating such legal proceedings. The City Attorney is hereby designated as an authorized representative of Council for the purposes of this subsection and is hereby authorized and directed, to make from time to time such inquiry as shall permit him to protect the interests of the City and to advise Council with respect to such legal proceedings.
(d) General Duties. In addition to the duties that may be imposed upon them by the Charter, by this Code or by general law, the City Officers shall perform such duties as may lawfully be required of them by Council, the Mayor or their superior officers.
(1970 Code Sec. 2-1)