‘It does not look good’: Westerly solicitor in the hot seat over shoreline access representation

This article originally appeared in The Public’s Radio on November 20, 2023 and was written by Alex Nunes. 

When shown the documents produced as a result of the public records requests, John Marion, executive director of the good government group Common Cause Rhode Island, said it’s “difficult” to “really determine who Bill Conley is actually representing as an attorney.”

“On paper, he’s the Town Council’s attorney, so he’s the legal counsel to the Town Council,” Marion said. “But he also seems to be, in some instances, providing legal advice to one of the fire districts.”

Marion said Conley’s communications with the Weekapaug Fire District “may be going over a line that exists for lawyers” regarding sharing information with adverse parties that can affect an attorney’s client. He said it’d be “wise of Westerly to look at who’s representing them.”

“There’s some unresolved questions there,” Marion said.

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