Solicitor
Today's municipal leaders are faced with increasingly complex and difficult issues to resolve. Having experienced legal counsel to guide you through those issues is a necessity. MacDonald Illig has served and continues to serve in that role as the solicitor of many government entities, guiding its clients through those challenging issues to a successful resolution.
The solicitor of a government entity is effectively the general counsel of the entity, addressing the myriad of issues that may arise on a daily basis, which may include:
- handing routine questions interpreting local ordinances and state and federal law;
- drafting, reviewing and counseling regarding contracts ranging from fuel purchases to software licenses to consultant and professional services agreements
- assisting with bid packages;
- assisting with ordinance enforcement;
- drafting and reviewing ordinances;
- counseling the police on policies and practices;
- assisting with comprehensive plan development and passage;
- assisting in the sale, acquisition or operation of water and/or sewer systems;
- reviewing Sunshine Act and Right-to-Know law issues;
- providing counsel on a variety of special legal issues arising under laws such as labor and employment laws, environmental laws (stormwater, recycling, waste disposal), disability laws (ADA), health care laws (HIPAA); and
- defending/prosecuting litigation
In addition, municipal leaders are more and more confronted with issues relating to the emergency services provided within their municipality. Whether it be issues relating to police, ambulance services or volunteer fire departments, MacDonald Illig has the knowledge and experience to help you confront and resolve those issues.
MacDonald Illig's solicitor knowledge and experience enables its attorneys to provide critical guidance in multiple areas of ordinance drafting and enforcement. MacDonald Illig's attorneys assist local governments in ensuring that its ordinances are comprehensive, understandable, uniformly enforceable, pass judicial scrutiny, and strive to achieve an orderly community for all of our neighbors. When an ordinance must be enforced, whether it be to seek compliance, seek penalties and fines and/or seek demolition of a blighted property, MacDonald Illig counsels and assists the code enforcement officers in their proceedings before the Magisterial District Courts, and takes the lead in any enforcement actions taken before the Courts of Common Pleas and any subsequent appellate proceedings. MacDonald Illig also assists in collecting any fines and penalties imposed through settlement agreements or through attaching liens and executing on liens to the violator's property.
As solicitor, MacDonald Illig attorneys also plan an important role in in the development of the community, serving in the role of solicitor for the municipality's planning commission or representing the Township in proceedings before the Zoning Hearing Board. The Planning Commission acts as an advisory group to the municipality on issues and policies related to planning, land use regulation, and community development, which must comply with the Township's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) and the Municipalities Planning Act. MacDonald Illig's depth, knowledge and experience in development enables it to provide guidance to the issues that come before the Planning Commission. Before the Zoning Hearing Board, MacDonald Illig attorneys are often confronted with cutting edge zoning questions relating to things such as cell towers and airbnb's, as well as more traditional variance requests, and seek to ensure that the Board has the evidence it needs to support the municipality's decision.