When Sam Sutter was running for district attorney, he pledged to expand the office's community service efforts for less money through volunteerism.

A little more than one month into his term, Sutter said all 55 lawyers working for him have volunteered to do community service.

Now, he said he is taking the ideal of volunteerism to another level.

Sutter said Tuesday that his wife, Dottie, will be a volunteer in the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.

Sutter said she will assist him when he personally tries a case, and will help out in the office's community service program. A former legal assistant for private law firms and former District Attorney Paul Walsh, Dottie Sutter also served on the transition team hiring new assistants when Sam Sutter was elected.

"She symbolizes what I am trying to do with volunteerism," Sam Sutter said.

He compared his wife's role to those played by former first ladies Roslyn Carter and Hillary Clinton.

"I consider it to be a plus for the people of Bristol County," Sutter said of his wife's work.

Apparently not everyone agrees.

The Boston Herald on Tuesday quoted unnamed sources objecting to Dottie Sutter acting as the de facto second in command at the office.

Sutter said his wife was at his side when he tried cases as a private attorney, and she will continue to do so when he prosecutes cases for the county.

"We have been trying cases together ever since we got married more than seven years ago," he said.

David Yaz, publisher of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, said he has never heard of a situation such as Sutter's before, but said it is not unusual for lawyers to work with their spouses in private practice.

If Sutter's wife were a paid employee, he would be violating ethics rules. But the situation is different because Dottie Sutter is not being paid. "Per the rules, he's not doing anything improper, but it's an unusual twist for a DA," Yaz said.

JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.