BETHESDA — Bethesda Village Council members unanimously voted to hire Michael J. Shaheen as the new village solicitor.

The village had been seeking an attorney to fill the solicitor position since the resignation of Jeffrey Menokski of Littlejohn Law in November. The village accepted resumes from several candidates and conducted interviews before deciding to proceed with Shaheen, making the decision official at a Dec. 17 meeting.

“When looking for a new solicitor, I knew we needed an honest, trustworthy person to keep the village on the right path,” Mayor Samantha Burkhead said. “Mr. Shaheen comes to us with a wealth of knowledge, and we look forward to working with him for the betterment of Bethesda.”

President of Council Rod Miller said, “I’ve known Michael for quite some time. I know he operates a very busy, successful firm, but when we made contact he immediately agreed to meet with us and we all just clicked. We’ve had our disagreements here in the past, but not this time. We were all in agreement and very pleased that things worked out for Michael to be our solicitor.”

Shaheen began his law practice in Belmont County in 1989 and is the founder and managing member of Shaheen Law Group. His term as the Bethesda solicitor starts this month and will last two years.

Shaheen also serves as the law director for the villages of Bridgeport and Bellaire.