Kermit Kendrick Appointed City Attorney for his Hometown of Meridian, MS
A Meridian native will be the city’s newest attorney following his appointment Tuesday.
Kermit Kendrick, who graduated from Meridian High School in 1985, will be the city’s primary attorney after the city hired Birmingham-based Burr & Forman LLP.
"I enjoy practicing law. When you're a city attorney, there's a myriad of legal issues that confront you every day. No two days are the same. And so I look forward to the challenge of giving good, solid advice so that the mayor and the City Council can effectively move the city forward," Kendrick said.
Kendrick, employed with Burr & Forman, specializes in consumer finance litigation & compliance, insurance, insurance litigation & coverage, and transportation, according to his company biography.
Kendrick, who also has a degree in accounting, said he had worked with the city before when the former city attorneys had conflicts of interest and enjoyed the work.
"I feel like I have a good, working knowledge of city government and the mayor-council form of government," Kendrick said.
Kendrick said he hoped to have a “fruitful relationship that helps move the city forward.”
"Any advice I give and that I plan to give is in the best interest of the City of Meridian. I don't work for the mayor (or) council. I work for the City of Meridian," Kendrick said. "So whatever I'm confronted with, I hope to give advice that is best for the city."
Kendrick's appointment comes after Glover, Young, Hammack, Walton & Simmons, PLLC, declined to extend their contract past its June 30 expiration date, describing the unprecedented "acrimony, pettiness and immaturity" and their hope for change in the city's dynamics.
Bill Hammack, representing the city at his last meeting, said Kendrick had met with attorneys to discuss current agreements such as the Environmental Protection Agency Consent Decree and familiarized himself with various issues.
"He would be an excellent representative of this city," Hammack said before the confirmation.
Mayor Percy Bland also highlighted Kendrick's legal work with the city and commended the Meridian native.
"He's exactly what we are hoping our kids and youth aspire and grow up to be," Bland said.
Kendrick told the council he plans to open a firm for Burr & Forman in Meridian and work in the city Monday through Wednesday, as well as any time the city required his assistance.