The Board of Selectmen has chosen attorney Arthur Kreiger as Duxbury’s next town counsel. Selectmen voted unanimously Monday to give the position to Krieger, who has been serving as interim town counsel since May.

The other finalists were Barbara Saint Andre of Petrini & Associates PC of Framingham and Lisa Mead of Blatman, Bobrowski & Mead, LLC of Concord, Millis and Newburyport.

Selectmen said they chose Kreiger because they liked the job he has done for the town so far and noted the number of pending lawsuits he has settled in a short amount of time.

“I’ve been impressed with what they’ve done,” said selectmen chairman Ted Flynn. “The other two firms are great, but my feeling is that I’ve seen Kreiger in action.”

Selectmen said they were also satisfied with the latest financial arrangement Kreiger’s firm offered. All three of the finalists for the town counsel position proposed a flat fee instead of an hourly rate for legal services, but selectmen were concerned last week that Anderson and Kreiger had a higher rate than other two finalists.

Selectman David Madigan said that Anderson and Kreiger offered a $2,500 discount per month from the rate the town is currently paying. Kreiger’s flat fee for town counsel services not including litigation will cost the town $8,000 a month.

Last week, selectmen said they wanted more information about what each attorney would give the town for the flat rate. They received that information and used it to make their decision this week.

Selectman Shawn Dahlen said that Kreiger’s contract specified that the new town counsel will be present at the annual town meeting and be available to attend board of selectmen and other committee meetings as needed. He said this should help decrease the number of lawsuits brought against the town because Kreiger would be available to advise boards and committees before the town is sued.

“I want them to be accessible so that boards can avoid litigation on these tough cases,” said Dahlen.

Krieger will also hold morning office hours and will be accessible by phone and email when necessary, Dahlen said.

Kreiger has more than 30 years of experience as an attorney, according to the Anderson and Kreiger Web site. He specializes in insurance, environmental and land use law and has been recognized as a leader in his field by The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers and Chambers USA - America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Kreiger has represented developers, towns, businesses and citizens groups in zoning, land use, insurance and environmental issues for the past twenty years.

Kreiger graduated with honors
from Columbia Law School in 1981 and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977.

In addition to voting to hire Kreiger, the selectmen also formally dismissed the town counsel search committee.