Interviews for Warren County of Supervisors attorney start 9 a.m. Thursday behind closed doors, county officials said Monday.

Seven have applied for the appointed position left vacant Nov. 10 when Marcie Southerland took a job with the District Attorney’s Office.

Supervisors accepted the applications but decided against the names being read publicly. They took the recommendation of county administrator John Smith and Southerland, who attended Monday’s meeting to handle leftover items, that the subject fit the personnel-related exception in Mississippi Open Meetings law.

The job of attorney is one of 10 so-called “will-and-pleasure” positions 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.