‘Exciting place to be right now’
COVINGTON, Ky. – The City of Covington is looking for an attorney to run its Legal Department.
With City Solicitor David Davidson retiring at the end of June, the City has posted an Opening for City Solicitor.
Davidson, who has been practicing law for 44 years, has overseen the City’s Legal operations since April 2022. He called the position an incredible opportunity to be part of big things, given Covington’s economic momentum and efforts to activate neighborhoods.
“It’s a very exciting place to be right now, what with all the development, the activity, and the changes,” he said. “We have a lot of different things going on.”
As City Solicitor, Davidson oversees three attorneys and a legal administrative assistant and supervises the Office of the City Clerk. He also oversees contracts with attorneys in specialized fields that the City hires to handle specific issues and court cases.
Among the many duties of the Legal Department are providing legal advice to City administrators, boards, and commissions; evaluating and handling legal claims against the City; representing the City in court cases; reviewing contracts and other documents; and preparing legislation.
“Not only do you practice law but you’re also essentially running a small law office,” Davidson said. ‘You have to be a good manager.”
While municipal law is a specialized field in and of itself, Davidson said, the best City attorneys are generalists, given the wide variety of issues that arise. To illustrate that point, he pulled his calendar and read off just some of the issues that he handled in a recent two-day period:
- An economic development agreement.
- A zoning dispute.
- The City’s budget.
- The Board of Commissioners legislative agenda.
- The City’s effort to be named the conservator for the vacant and dilapidated Duveneck House.
- The City’s electricity franchise.
- Changes in state law regarding sober living facilities.
- Property in the path of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project.
“There are very few dull days,” Davidson said. “In fact, there are no dull days. But I work with some really good people who care about this city a lot.”
City Manager Ken Smith said Covington would miss Davidson, who he said “brought a wealth of legal experience and a steady hand.”
Smith said the City expected to move quickly to fill the position given its importance.
“We need to find someone who can hit the ground running,” he said. “Our Legal team has been and will remain a critical piece of the team helping to drive Covington’s momentum.”
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