Lincoln attorney Rod Confer has been appointed to become the next City Attorney for Lincoln.

With City Council confirmation, Confer would begin his new job Nov. 1.

In making the announcement, Mayor Chris Beutler thanked Judge John Hendry, the former Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, for coming out of retirement in February 2008 to serve as city attorney. Hendry announced last week his intention to retire from the city.

"Rod has a brilliant legal mind and is very well-respected in the legal community," Beutler said in a news release. "I appreciate his willingness to follow the example of Judge Hendry and take on this 'encore' career for the good of the community."

Confer is a partner in the firm of Knudsen, Berkheimer, Richardson & Endacott, where he has worked since 1976.

He said he will miss working with his colleagues at the law firm but looks forward to new professional challenges.

"Judge Hendry made great strides in building an efficient and well organized team, and I hope to continue that work," Confer said in the same news release.

"The community is facing some big issues in the near future, and I look forward to being part of that process."

The McCook native graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1971 and was editor of the Nebraska Law Review. He also has a bachelor's degree in business administration from UNL.

He has served on the Lancaster County Indigent Defense Advisory Council and is on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. He also has served on the boards of the YMCA, the Capital Humane Society, the University of Nebraska Friends of the Library and the Nebraska Literary Heritage Association.

The City Attorney's Office has a staff of 27. The office provides legal advice to the mayor, city council, departments, committees and commissions. The office also initiates and defends legal actions on behalf of the city.