Defining the role of the school district's attorney and selecting the proper individual to fill that role are the two major topics of this booklet. The first chapter, by Edgar H. Bittle, reviews the district counsel's range of responsibilities. Chapter 2, by Ralph D. Stern, focuses on the attorney's role in policy matters. In the third chapter, Stacie Rissman Joyce reports the perceptions of superintendents, school board chairmen, and school attorneys concerning the role of school attorneys in Minnesota from 1978 to 1980. Chapter 4, by William A. Anderson, examines the relative merits of retaining an outside law firm or hiring inhouse legal counsel. The Committee on Professional Responsibility of the National Association of Bond Lawyers prepared chapter 5's statement on the function and professional responsibilities of bond counsel. Chapter 6, by Bittle, and chapter 7, by Martin Semple, discuss ethical concerns and due process considerations affecting school board attorneys. Thirteen appendices offer guidelines for use when selecting attorneys, samples of school board policies on retaining attorneys, job descriptions, procedures for handling requests for legal services, a form for evaluating the performance of legal services, and a questionnaire for assessing the structure of a district's legal services. (PGD)