Town Counsel Richard Bowen sat before the Board of Selectmen Tuesday amidst concerns his firm, Blatman Bobrowski & Mead LLC, has not been holding up its end of the bargain since being hired to represent the town in April.

Blatman Bobrowski & Mead charges approximately $216,000 to provide legal support and representation for the town, including its officials, boards, and commissions.

The firm replaced Wareham’s longtime legal counsel, Kopelman and Paige, that offered to do the job for $114,000 during an interview process for Town Counsel in March.

Bowen is a former attorney with Kopelman and Paige and now works for Blatman Bobrowski & Mead.

In March, Selectmen agreed that Blatman Bobrowski & Mead was the best choice for legal representation, given Bowen’s experience in Wareham and the firm’s expertise on zoning and employment issues, among other reasons.

Tuesday’s conversation was prompted by Selectman Steve Holmes, who raised concerns that Town Counsel is not acting on the town’s legal matters in a timely fashion.

“I had all these expectations and quite frankly I haven’t seen it come to fruition,” Holmes said. “It’s disappointing.”

Selectman Cara Winslow echoed his concern.

Winslow cited the legal matter concerning a group home for the mentally ill slated to open at 7 Lynne Road. Town Counsel associate Jason Talerman, of Blatman Bobrowski & Mead, noted at a previous Selectmen meeting that the town would have had more options to stop the process if action were taken within the first 30 days of the building permit being issued for the controversial facility.

Bowen said the firm acts immediately upon receiving information from town officials. In the case of Lynne Road, he said the firm didn’t know about it until weeks into the process.

“Tell us what you want. I don’t have ESP. ... If I did I would be sitting in a casino making millions of dollars,” Bowen said. “It is up to the policy makers - the Board of Selectmen, the Town Administrator, to give direction.”

Holmes also voiced concern that certain boards and committees in town are represented by outside counsel, despite Blatman Bobrowski & Mead’s status as an all-inclusive firm.

Bowen admitted the transfer of cases from former counsel has been challenging, but added the firm is becoming more involved in existing cases.

“I don’t have the authority to walk into any department head’s office and say ‘Hey! Give me all those cases!’” Bowen said. “We are pleased these sort of cases are making their way over to us.”

Selectmen agreed that closely adhering to the town’s policy for Town Counsel would resolve concerns and provide clarity on legal proceedings in the future. Adopted in 1988, it states that any boards or commissions seeking legal counsel are to notify the town administrator firs, who would then notify the Board of Selectmen.

Bowen pointed out that in some existing cases the town might find it more beneficial to keep current outside legal counsel, who would already be briefed on long-standing cases.