Framingham City Solicitor Retiring After Two Decades

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham's longtime in-house attorney will retire at the end of the 2022 fiscal year, city officials announced Wednesday.

Attorney Chris Petrini, founder of Petrini & Associates P.C., became Framingham's town counsel in 2001. Former mayor Yvonne Spicer hired him as city solicitor in 2018 when Framingham became a city.

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve as Framingham’s principal legal officer for the past 20
years,” Petrini said in a news release. “Each and every day I have worked hard, along with the other attorneys at Petrini & Associates, P.C., to devote our full professional efforts to deliver the highest quality and most cost-effective legal services to Framingham.”

Petrini's last day will be June 30, which is also the last day of the 2022 fiscal year.

In his first state-of-the-city speech on Monday, Mayor Charlie Sisitsky warned that the fiscal 2023 budget process could be tough. He also said he would be looking to make changes in key areas including "the way we procure legal services."

Petrini and his team of attorneys defend the city against lawsuits and provide a broad range of legal advice. But unlike other cities that have attorneys on staff, Framingham pays Petrini's firm a retainer to provide legal services. The budget for Petrini's office in fiscal year 2022 was about $755,000, according to budget documents.

"Chris has always been passionate about protecting the interests of Framingham. I know him as a person who can always be depended upon to do the right thing and always give good advice. Framingham has been fortunate to have benefitted from the services of Chris for so many years and I wish him the very best in his retirement," Sisitsky said in a news release.

Petrini will continue to practice law with his firm after June 30, according to the city's news release.