Little Compton's new town solicitor said last Thursday that the recent concern expressed by a resident  over possible conflicts of interest due to his legal practice is misplaced.

Barrington resident Anthony DeSisto was hired as Little Compton's solicitor earlier this month, replacing long-time solicitor Richard Humphrey. DeSisto, who also serves as solicitor for Warren and Lincoln, is also the state Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC)'s legal counsel.

Following his appointment to the post by the Little Compton Town Council, resident Martina Halsey wrote a letter to the council calling into question the new town’s solicitor potential conflict of interest, as Little Compton has abundant shoreline under the CRMC's jurisdiction. She questioned how much it will cost the town to hire alternate legal counsel when the town has issues with the state agency.

But at last week's meeting, DeSisto said he has no concen:

“The concerns in the letter are misplaced,” he said. “I represent Warren, which actually has an extensive coastline. I had that dual representation for that entire time for CRMC and it hasn’t been a problem here. I was also the solicitor in Tiverton — same thing, no problem.”

The topic of DeSisto's representation of CRMC was raised multiple times in the attorney’s interview process, he said, and DeSisto said he will recuse himself from any case should the topic arise. Additionally, DeSisto is seeking the advisory opinion of the Board of Ethics and the State Disciplinary Council on the matter and said he expects results in a couple of weeks.

— Paige Shapiro