The Montgomery Village Foundation has chosen a full-time attorney to serve on its staff, the foundation announced Tuesday.

Christopher Hitchens, a Gaithersburg resident, will start work as the Foundation’s in-house legal counsel in January of 2013, according to Montgomery Village Foundation Executive Vice President Dave Humpton.

“Until last year, our clerk would represent us before the courts,” Humpton said, but a judge ruled that someone admitted to the bar must represent them. In October, the Foundation authorized the hiring of a staff attorney, according to a press release from the Montgomery Village Foundation.

Hitchens was previously employed at Thomas Schild Law Group, LLC of Rockville and as the assistant Montgomery County attorney, the release said.

Now, Hitchens will handle a wide range of issues, including contract and legislative matters, but “the number one issue is our collections activity,” Humpton said.

Until Hitchens was hired, the Foundation employed Jack McCabe of Chen, Walsh, Tecler & McCabe LLP of Rockville as its outside legal counsel, the release said.

scarignan@gazette.net