MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County is struggling to hire attorneys. Because of this, county lawmakers are making a change.

During the recent county legislature meeting, legislators voted to waive the residency requirements for assistant attorney titles for them to live in Chautauqua County.

During committee meetings leading up to the full legislature meeting, County Attorney Anna Morgan noted that currently an individual who wants to work for the county as an attorney must reside in Chautauqua County. That includes the Public Defender’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, the County Law Department and Social Services.

Except for the Public Defender’s Office, all the departments currently have openings for attorneys.

“We’ve had a couple of candidates who have approached us, who simply do not want to or have the ability to relocate at this time,” she said.

Morgan said it’s not unusual for young attorneys who recently graduated with a law degree to still be living with their parents due to financial constraints.

She said if the county hires someone in that situation, that person may decide to move to Chautauqua County later on down the line.

There will still be some residency requirements. The county is requiring that its attorneys reside in New York state and must be either a resident of Chautauqua, or an adjoining county, which would include Erie and Cattaraugus counties.

Further, department heads must reside in Chautauqua County and an attorney who does not live in the county cannot be a designated head of a department if someone is not available.