Coyle v. Board of Chosen Freeholders

The opinion of the court was delivered by

STERN, P.J.A.D.

This appeal requires us to decide if the Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders (“Board”) can terminate its County Counsel, without cause, prior to the end of his three year statutory term of office. Because there is no dispute that the County Counsel is a legal position held by a lawyer subject to the Supreme Court’s plenary power governing the practice of law,1 and because County Counsel is the legal advisor to the governing body which is, in essence, the client when there is no County Executive, we hold that the Board can discharge…