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Hanahan council amends city code on outside counsel and votes to retain Haynesworth firm amid complaints
Summary
Hanahan City Council approved an ordinance clarifying that the city may retain outside law firms and, after an executive session and debate over complaints, voted to retain Haynesworth, Sinkler & Boyd, P.A. as corporation counsel. Council also authorized an investigative committee with subpoena power.
Hanahan City Council voted on Feb. 11 to amend city code to clarify that the city may retain an outside law firm to provide legal services, and after returning from executive session the council voted to retain Haynesworth, Sinkler & Boyd, P.A. (HSB) as corporation counsel under terms of an engagement letter provided in January 2025.
The ordinance under second reading, described by City Administrator Courtley Solaire as a modernization of city code sections 2-2-10 and 2-2-11, clarifies that counsel may be hired either as an individual or as a law firm on a contractual basis. The measure passed after extended council debate over whether a single, sworn in-house city attorney or an outside firm better protects the city’s interests.
The public hearing drew a comment from Eric Lakiri, an attorney speaking on behalf of developer Ray Wren, who argued the ordinance could improperly delegate sovereign authority to a private firm. “What this ordinance…
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