Purcellville town attorney announces resignation; council debates in‑house vs. firm counsel

At the May 27 meeting, town attorney John Cafferkey (S5) told council he intends to step away from the role, citing increased workload and personal caregiving responsibilities. "I've been pleased and privileged to serve as your town attorney... my schedule has become more demanding and I think it's become apparent to me given the level of need that the council and the staff have," he said, and offered to assist with the transition.

Council debated two primary models for future legal services: (1) a 20‑hour/week in‑house municipal attorney, or (2) continuing with a law firm that can provide a broader range of specialty expertise on demand. Staff supplied historical legal spending figures for 2021–2024 to inform that tradeoff; finance staff summarized that years with mixed in‑house and outside services had total legal spending in the low‑to‑mid six figures (for example, 2024 roughly $286,000 for consulting/legal services and as of the meeting $153,000 in 2025 so far).

Council members noted advantages and disadvantages of each model. Supporters of an in‑house attorney said it would improve access and familiarity with town matters; proponents of a firm pointed to the ability to scale expertise for land use, litigation and specialized counsel. Cafferkey said he would provide candidate resources and a billing history to aid the council’s search.

No action was taken to finalize a hiring model; staff were asked to provide more detailed analytics on hours and prior expenditures and to consult local resources such as Versa for candidate referrals.