1160                            LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 644

(b)    The County Solicitor shall be the legal advisor to the County
Commissioners. He shall, upon request, give advice and opinions upon
any legal matter affecting the interest of the County. All deeds, bonds,
contracts, releases or other instruments involving the County shall,
before execution or delivery, be submitted to the County Solicitor
and shall be approved by him in writing as to their form and legal
sufficiency. He shall appear in and prosecute or defend all civil
matters in which the County is a party. He shall have such addi-
tional duties as the County Commissioners may from time to time
assign him.

(c)     The County Solicitor shall receive an annual salary to be
determined by the County Commissioners from time to time, but
such salary shall not exceed $16,000 per annum. The County Solicitor
shall not engage in the private practice of law. The County Commis-
sioners shall supply him with such office space and secretarial as-
sistance as may be necessary for the discharge of his office. They
shall have the power to fill any vacancy in the office of County
Solicitor caused by resignation, death or otherwise, and may at any
time in their discretion discharge and appoint a new County Solicitor
for Harford County.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
January 1, 1967.

Approved May 6, 1966.

CHAPTER 644
(House Bill 482)

AN ACT to add a new Section 9D to Article 64A of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1965 Supplement), title "Merit System," to fol-
low immediately after Section 9C thereof, and to be under the new
subtitle "Deputy clerks of court and employees of the clerk of
court's office in Washington County," to include deputies or as-
sistant clerks of courts in Washington County and employees of
the Washington County Circuit Court's office, except the Clerk of
Court, in the State Merit System.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Section 9D be and it is hereby added to Article 64A of
the Annotated Code of Maryland (1965 Supplement), title "Merit
System," to follow immediately after Section 9C thereof, and to be
under the new subtitle "Deputy clerks of court and employees of the
clerk of court's office in Washington County," and to read as follows:

Deputy clerks of court and employees of
Clerk of Court's office in Washington County.

9D.

All deputy or assistant clerks of court and all employees of the
office of Clerk of the Circuit Court for Washington County, except
the Clerk of Court himself, are concluded within the provisions of