Lane County Commissioners have voted to hire a former Lincoln County District Attorney as their legal counsel.
As chief legal officer, Rob Bovett will lead the office that represents the county in legal matters, and advises the county’s top elected officials.
He most recently served as senior assistant county counsel to Washington County, and previously served as the lawyer for the Association of Oregon Counties, a lobbying group that advocates for county governments at the Oregon Capitol.
Before that, Bovett was Lincoln County’s elected District Attorney, where he was known for his efforts to combat meth manufacturing and trafficking.
In a news release Tuesday, Lane County Board of Commissioners Chair David Loveall praised Bovett.
“His depth of experience working on behalf of counties and as an elected official himself will make him an invaluable partner in our work,” Loveall said. “We’re excited to have him hit the ground running.”
He replaces former county counsel Erin Pettigrew, who agreed to a settlement with the county in October to avoid a potential lawsuit over her unspecified “employment related concerns.”
Bovett is currently the vice chair of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission and is an adjunct law professor at Lewis & Clark College.
Bovett’s starting salary at Lane County will be nearly $249,000 a year. He’s scheduled to start in February.
