The county spends more than $1 million annually on legal representation, more than 1% of the budget. It sure sounds like a lot, particularly during a recession.

So the Freeholders have asked a volunteer panel of three attorneys to identify ways to reduce the county's legal spending. Recently retired Superior Court Judge Roger Mahon, county Bar Association President Anthony Kearns and accountant and former Clinton Township Mayor Tom Borkowski are to report their initial findings by April 15.

The panel is already being criticized. We think the Freeholders have a worthy goal, so we're adopting a "wait and see" attitude.

Some say that asking lawyers to do this is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse. Likewise, Freeholder Director Will Mennen is called disingenuous for saying the panel's review sidesteps politics.

Still others say the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Borkowski has publicly criticized veteran county counsel Gaetano De Sapio, whose firm has lately billed the county about $850,000 a year. De Sapio may be nearing retirement and could be unaffected should the panel recommend bringing more, or all, legal work in-house.

These points have merit. However, attorneys are trained to be critical thinkers, to scrutinize complex issues and tease apart tangled messes. They're trained to sift facts. At the least, there is no reason to begin by impugning the panel's integrity.

Originally published here.