Coventry — The Town Council agreed to place a resolution on the next meeting agenda to hire CLA’s forensic litigation‑investigations team to review invoices and contracts related to the town’s former solicitor, with a proposed $50,000 not‑to‑exceed cap and periodic updates to the council.

Luke, representing CLA’s forensic litigation investigations practice, told the council the firm would review the engagement letter, contracts and invoices, bucket hours by category and compare billed activity to contract scope. “We’re part of the forensic litigation investigations team here at CLA, which is all we do is forensic accounting investigations and litigation support,” he said, describing the firm’s approach and adding that CLA bills hourly and typically phases work with checkpoint updates.

Council members asked whether CLA could access the former solicitor’s calendar and emails; Luke said personal calendars and personal‑account emails generally require voluntary production or litigation to obtain, and that CLA would rely primarily on public meeting records, videos and the invoices provided. The town’s solicitor and council discussed OPRA/privilege and redaction questions and whether findings would become public if they formed the basis for council action.

Members debated CLA’s lack of in‑house legal expertise for judging the reasonableness of attorney hours, the merits of an RFP or RFQ for a provider with legal billing familiarity, and whether early findings should be referred to state police for financial‑crime review. Supporters argued periodic check‑ins and a $50,000 cap would limit cost exposure while allowing a documented, independent review.

Clerk roll call on placing a resolution to hire CLA on the next meeting agenda recorded seven votes in the affirmative, zero opposed. Council directed staff and the solicitor to draft a resolution for the next meeting packet that will formalize the engagement terms, reporting cadence and the not‑to‑exceed cap.