City attorney Mary Kahl’s surprise announcement that she will resign in March prompted praise this week for her service and speculation the South Portland City Council may try to outsource future legal work to private firms.

“I have found Mary to be the perfect lawyer over the years,” Councilor Jim Hughes said Monday. “She always is helpful and replies quickly to requests… I kid her that lawyers take courses on obfuscation. But Mary is clear and makes sense.”

Added Councilor Linda Boudreau: “I will miss Mary’s incredible sense of humor and steadying effect on the Council. She’s the voice of reason – someone who sits back and reflects before offering a solution.”

Kahl sent her resignation letter Jan. 17 to the City Council and City Manager James Gailey. Kahl, who reports directly to the City Council, wrote in a brief letter she intends to enter private practice. Her last day on the job is March 7.

Kahl said she kept her plans private in advance of giving notice, because she wanted to personally tell her friends and colleagues at City Hall.

She expressed enthusiasm for the change.

“I’ve been thinking increasingly about this move for the last two years,” Kahl said last week. “Walking away is always difficult, but there are other things I’d like to pursue. I did not want to delay that decision until retirement.”

After Kahl’s departure, some councilors say they are open to exploring whether the city should contract with private law firms instead of hiring a full-time, in-house replacement.

Municipal law increasingly is complex, with cases requiring specialists in certain areas, such as employment or land use, rather than a general counsel. South Portland typically has several legal cases pending at any given time.

“I don’t have a problem with contracting for legal services,” Hughes said. “I know that a lot of other cities do it. It offers them an advantage of finding an expert for a particular problem.”

Hughes added that “Mary Kahl has been a master of all trades, and I know that is not easy for one person to do.”

But Boudreau questioned the potential cost of contracting with a private firm. She says it’s helpful having an attorney at City Hall who understands ordinances and provides support to the City Council and staff.

“It would be very expensive for us as councilors if we have to go through a gatekeeper and have a clock ticking away every time we had a legal question,” Boudreau said.

There has been no formal proposal or discussion by the Council on how to proceed.

Kahl plans to take two weeks of vacation in February before leaving her job. Kahl says she will stay in South Portland.

The veteran city attorney is known for her low-key approach and pragmatism. But, in 2007, a disagreement she had with former City Manager Ted Jankowski and Councilor Claude Morgan, the former mayor, made headlines.

Kahl angered Morgan for releasing e-mail correspondence between the city councilor and Jankowski, when a newspaper requested it under the Freedom of Information Act.

The correspondence related to Jankowski’s pending review before the council.

At one point, Kahl’s job was thought to be at risk, when councilors invited an outside attorney to discuss grounds for her dismissal. But Kahl’s decision to disclose the documents was found to follow the law.

Jankowski resigned in May 2007, under heavy criticism for his management style.

Kahl said this week that her decision to resign was not influenced by past conflicts at City Hall.

“A city attorney’s job should not be political… I make my decisions based on the law,” Kahl said. “That may not always please everyone.”

Morgan did not return a phone call for comment.

Other City Council members had only praise for Kahl and her work for the city.

Mayor Jim Soule noted that he was on the Council that hired Kahl 16 years ago, and now finds himself accepting her resignation.

Kahl met with Soule and Gailey before announcing her resignation.

“On behalf of the South Portland City Council, we wish her the best in her desire to entire into private practice,” he said. “South Portland is a better place for her service.”

In an interview last week, Kahl expressed excitement about her career change.

She said she will not miss the heavy nighttime meeting schedule, which kept her from pursuing other activities.

Kahl hopes to continue handling municipal cases in private practice.

Municipal law has changed over the years, she noted, becoming more complex and more contentious. She describes employment, land use and law enforcement as the “three most high risk” areas in municipal law.

In private practice, Kahl said, she may want to explore the growing specialty of animal law.

“Some people look at me and say, ‘Are you crazy?’ when I bring this up. But animal law is a rapidly emerging section or subsection of the law,” Kahl said. “I have a lifelong love of animals, and I thought this area might be worth pursuing.”

Kahl said that mediation is another area she wants to consider.

“The traditional legal processes are adversarial, and we’re not always answering what’s going on with the people involved,” she said. “Someone may technically win but it’s an empty victory. Mediation often allows you to really resolve the issue.”

Kahl, 56, says she believes it makes sense now to switch careers rather than when she is closer to retirement.

Kahl is from New York, but has made Maine her home for 20 years. She started as the municipal attorney for Saco before coming to South Portland. Kahl jokes that her cases have ranged from “the absurd to the sublime.”

Boudreau said she will miss Kahl’s humor and calm demeanor.

“Sometimes when you are a councilor, you can get uptight,” Boudreau said, laughing. “Mary always was able to convey, ‘Look, we are going to get through this.’ “

Boudreau said Kahl does not get ruffled easily. She recalled some uncomfortable moments, for example, when the Council was developing rules to ban massage parlors. “We saw some pretty interesting characters testify during that discussion,” Boudreau said.

“We went through some really strange things together, some issues that were difficult to deal with,” Boudreau said.

Boudreau says she also will miss the candy dish Kahl keeps filled in her office on the file cabinet.

“I can’t tell you the strength that comes from that candy dish after Council meetings,” Boudreau said. “It has been a real ice breaker. Someone will walk by and pick up the whole candy dish and bring it into executive session.”

Kahl compared the job of a municipal attorney to an old-fashioned general practitioner. She said a municipal attorney needs to know about a variety of legal areas and be prepared to deal with a variety of people – residents, city employees and councilors.

“Everybody must be treated fairly and respectfully,” Kahl said. “What you can’t do is skew your opinion based on who will be happy and who will not.

“I try to look at what’s legally appropriate and fair. Sometimes you can’t give people what they want to hear,” she said. “But you do what is legally required. You do the right thing.”

Departing South Portland City Attorney Mary Kahl is considering going into animal law.