PEABODY – At this week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. recommended his appointment of Liz Lashway for the assistant city solicitor position.
Lashway, who earned her law degree at Suffolk University, has had an extensive career in both municipal law and private practice. The Wellesley resident spent almost a decade as an assistant city solicitor in Cambridge.
She then spent four years serving as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, until she founded her own law firm in 2019. She also serves as a Wellesley Town Meeting Member and a hearing officer for the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.
At the City Council meeting, Councilor Anne Manning-Martin said, “unless I’m wrong, I believe this is the first woman assistant city solicitor/city solicitor in that office. So, welcome aboard. We are happy to have you.”
“It’s a very impressive resume and I very much look forward to working with you,” added Councilor Peter McGinn.
“I can tell you that Attorney Lashwood is the consummate professional,” said City Council President Ryan Melville. “I think she’ll add a lot to [the legal] office.”
The motion to approve Lashway as assistant city solicitor carried 11-0.
“I am confident that my background as a prior assistant city solicitor for the City of Cambridge and a commissioner of a state agency makes me a perfect fit for this role,” said Lashway. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as an assistant city solicitor for the City of Peabody.”
“Since reentering private practice almost three years ago, after having worked for state and local governments, I had been hoping to represent a historic, vibrant community like Peabody’s,” she continued.
About being the first female in the position, Lashway said, “having the opportunity to be the first woman attorney in Peabody’s law department brings some personal pride with it.”
Emma Fringuelli can be reached at [email protected]
