Council shall appoint a Municipal Attorney for an indefinite period of time and shall fix the salary. The Municipal Attorney shall be an attorney at law admitted to practice in the courts of this commonwealth.
The Municipal Attorney shall:
(a) 
Serve as chief legal officer of the municipality.
(b) 
Represent the municipality in all legal matters.
(c) 
Furnish legal advice to Council, the Mayor and the Manager on matters of municipal business.
(d) 
Represent all boards and commissions except those requiring special legal counsel.
The Municipal Attorney shall have the right of access to the records of any officer, department, board or commission of the municipality as necessary in the performance of the duties of the Municipal Attorney.
The legal matters of the municipality shall be under the control of the Municipal Attorney, and no department or officer of the municipality, except as herein otherwise provided, shall employ an additional counsel without the prior written consent of Council. In the absence of the Attorney, the law firm of which he is a member or associate may perform any of the duties or functions of the Attorney.