It’s Official: Gelerman Agrees to Return as Foxborough’s Town Counsel

Attorney Richard Gelerman is officially returning to Foxborough to serve as Town Counsel.

Gelerman, according to Board of Selectmen chair James DeVellis, recently agreed to a contract with the town following the July 10 BOS meeting and will begin his new but familiar role in town on Aug. 1.

Gelerman has nearly 30 years of experience as Foxborough’s Town Counsel and will replace outgoing counsel Paul DeRenis of Deutsch Williams, who has held the position since Gelerman’s departure four years ago.

Selectmen voted unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting to appoint Gelerman and his firm, Gelerman and Cabral, LLC as the town's counsel, making the attorney’s return official.

DeVellis said he expects the transition to go smoothly.

“Before [Gelerman] starts, he has been reaching out to past town counsel to get up to speed on some of the issues and he’s already up to speed on a lot of stuff,” DeVellis said. “He’s been paying attention to what’s happening in town.”

DeVellis, who sat in on contract negotiations with Gelerman, said talks between the town and the firm were handled well and the contract went “hand-in-hand with the RFP on a lot of items.”

, which concluded on July 10. Gelerman’s firm beat out six other candidates for the job. He provided the selectmen with several reasons why his firm is the best fit for the town of Foxborough during his second interview.

“We are nearby, we are local and we know the town,” Gelerman said. “The town knows us, we are accessible … we are responsive. We are not so big that you can’t reach us and we are not so small that we are not responsive.” …

“I’ve done this kind of work for decades and we think successfully,” Gelerman said. “I think the fact that we’ve been reappointed so many times in the communities we represent is proof of that.” …

“I’m familiar with the billboard work, the stadium and Patriot Place,” Gelerman said.

“I think with our firm there’s little risk,” Gelerman said. “You know who we are, you know how I operate and you know my history with Foxborough.”

About Gelerman

Gelerman currently serves as town counsel for Sharon, a position he has held for more than 20 years. He was born in Malden, graduated law school from Cornell University and is the author of "Low and Moderate Income Housing Procedures Before Local Boards of Appeal," January 1988; "Subdivision Control Law, Presenting a Proposed Subdivision Before Planning Board," April 1988; "Adult Day Care Centers and the Dover Amendment," April 2001.