Seven applicants will be considered starting Monday to handle legal work for Warren County.
County supervisors are expected to name a replacement for attorney Marcie Southerland, who resigned Nov. 3 to take a job with the District Attorney’s Office. An eighth application had come in but was withdrawn, deputy chancery clerk Beverly Johnson said. The Board of Supervisors has not said how long into the week interviews will last.
The position of county attorney is one of 10 so-called “will-and-pleasure” position that supervisors may consider at any time. Most reappointments and new appointments coincide with the first meeting of a calendar year. Though state law allows counties to pay attorneys as employees, Warren County has left its subcontractor-style arrangement alone. Southerland, who had filled the role since January 2012, and predecessor Randy Sherard worked under contracts that stipulated $150 hourly rates.
Legal cases involving former circuit clerk Shelly Ashley-Palmertree, unpaid settlements from civil cases from her time in office and a property tax appeal from Riverwalk Casino are the most significant items on the county’s legal plate.