PROVIDENCE – Mayor David N. Cicilline today appointed Deputy City Solicitor Adrienne Southgate to lead the City’s Law Department.  Southgate has spent the past seven years as Deputy City Solicitor and possesses “an extraordinary breadth of experience in government, regulatory and corporate issues.”  She’ll succeed Joseph M. Fernandez, who will step down as City Solicitor at the end of the month.

“Adrienne’s strong commitment to public service and her solid legal and management skills make her the perfect person to lead the Law Department,” said Mayor Cicilline.  “She brings valuable experience to this important position and has the deep respect of her colleagues in City government.”

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to be appointed to this position by Mayor Cicilline,” said Southgate.  “We have a great team of highly skilled, professional attorneys and support staff in the Law Department and I look forward to working with them on behalf of the residents of Providence.”

Southgate joined the Cicilline Administration in 2003, and has been the primary legal counsel for all boards and commissions as well as the City Council.   As Deputy City Solicitor, she assisted the Solicitor in managing a team of seventeen attorneys and support staff in the Law Department.  Her list of accomplishments include developing a new City Code of Conduct with the Mayor’s Ethics Task Force; revamping the City’s tax stabilization policy to include new guidelines for Women or Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) hiring, affordable housing and local training programs; providing legal expertise on the City’s efforts to defeat KeySpan’s attempts to expand its LNG facility in Providence and helping to craft a management agreement with the Rhode Island Zoological Society that resulted in a more efficient operation and savings for taxpayers.

Southgate previously served as Executive Counsel for the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation where, among other accomplishments, she established and managed a cross-functional, multi-agency State Brownfields Team touted as a “national model” by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

She also served as General Counsel for the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission and Assistant Director and Chief Legal Counsel for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM).

Southgate holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College and a J.D. degree from Wayne State University School of Law.

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