As Haverhill’s Legal Bills Grow, City Councilor Asks for Monthly ReportsBy Caroline Louise Cole | June 17, 2025

The City of Haverhill’s legal bills are on their way to doubling and Haverhill City Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski wants to know why.

Following the retirement of William D. Cox Jr. as city solicitor in 2024, the city first tried to replace him with another in-house attorney. The position was advertised at an annual salary of $94,607. When no acceptable candidates applied, even after the salary was increased to $120,000, Mayor Melinda E. Barrett decided to hire a permanent outside law firm, a model the City Council ratified unanimously.

The city spent $268,110 in 2023 and $268,880 in 2024, which included Cox’s salary and outside specialists. Now represented by the Newburyport firm of Mead, Talerman & Costa at a rate of $225 per hour, this past year the city allocated $527,300 for legal bills and Barrett is budgeting $582,818 next year.

“I have no issue with the representation,” said Lewandowski, who is an attorney, during recent Council spending deliberations. “From everything I am hearing, we are getting good coverage. However, it is expensive, much more expensive than it was when we had an in-house attorney. We have an ethical responsibility to watch how the funds are being spent.”

Specifically, Lewandowski said she wants a monthly report that gives a cost break down of how the firm is billing the city, what cases are outstanding, what cases have been settled and what legal matters the firm anticipates.

“We need this information so we can decide whether we are using the most efficient model,” Lewandowski said.

Barrett said she is not opposed to providing the information at least once a year when the city auditor pulls together information about all city spending for its annual “budget book.” She said beginning July 1, she will ask city Auditor Angel A. Perkins to track the information.

“But, I don’t think our legal spending is out of line,” Barrett said, noting that Methuen, which is smaller than Haverhill, spends some $600,000 a year and Lawrence, which has an in-house attorney, spent more than $800,000.

“We are getting really good representation which will save the city money over time,” Barrett said. “We can call on any one of 17 different attorneys, each with their own specialty, two who are labor attorneys. They are responsive. I think this model is the best value. What we are spending truly seems in line to me when we look at other comparable-sized communities.”

Barrett noted the city negotiated 16 different labor contracts in the past year, all involving time of an attorney as well as settled expensive litigation with one of its cannabis retailers.

Just because she is budgeting $500,000, Barrett added, doesn’t mean the city will spend that much.

“We can’t anticipate the litigation the city will face so I would rather have those funds to draw on. Anything we don’t use, goes back to the general fund,” she said.

Lewandowski, who represents Ward 4, said she is glad that the mayor has agreed to provide the information she has requested, though she would like to see a monthly report. Towards that end she will make a request to the Council that it officially requests a regular report on legal spending.