Burien City Attorney Lisa Marshall will leave the city in January to return to the private practice of law, City Manager Brian Wilson said on Monday, Dec. 26.

“City Attorney Lisa Marshall’s last day with the city will be Jan. 15, 2019,” Wilson said. “We will have a more comprehensive notice in the coming days.”

Wilson said Marshall has been commuting from Sammamish to Burien giving her a lot of “time in the car.”

Wilson said Marshall “has served the city very well during her tenure here.”

After she leaves, he said the city will contract legal services “as we initiate a selection process for a city attorney in the first quarter of 2020.”

Marshall said she was “recently approached by my former law firm with a professional opportunity that I have accepted. My former firm is Kenyon Disend which serves municipal clients.

“The opportunity presented itself quickly and came as a bit of a surprise,” she said. “Accepting this position will allow me to spend less time in my car — thus reducing my carbon footprint! — and more time with my family. Moreover, I am excited to assist my good friend and former law partner Mike Kenyon with his goal to work less as he approaches retirement.”

She said the decision was made “extremely difficult by my fondness for and wonderful working relationship with City Manager Brian Wilson. He is one of the best city managers I have had the pleasure to serve.

“You have a talented Leadership team whose daily objective is to make Burien a place where people want to be,” Marshall said. “It has been a pleasure working with all of them.”

She will attend the Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 City Council meeting and her last day in the office will be Jan. 15, 2020.

“It has been an honor and a privilege serving as your city attorney and I hope our paths will one day cross again,” said Marshall.