Police Practices Defense Counsel Services & Insurance Coverage Defense Counsel Services

The City of East Orange, New Jersey, is soliciting Qualification Statements from qualified individuals and firms to establish a pool of attorneys for two critical legal service areas: Police Practices Defense Counsel Services and Insurance Coverage Defense Counsel Services. For Police Practices, the scope includes providing litigation and defense counsel for City police officers facing legal actions arising from their employment-related duties, encompassing Tort Claims Act, Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA), Laws Against Discrimination (LAD), 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983 actions, contract matters, and challenges to government action. For Insurance Coverage, the City seeks expertise in negotiating insurance contract terms, advising on rights and obligations under policies, acting as legal representatives for claims, presenting and negotiating recoveries, and pursuing claims through various adversarial proceedings, including declaratory judgment actions, mediation, and arbitration. Both roles require a close working relationship with the City's Law Department and involve comprehensive litigation support, from pleadings and discovery to trials and meetings, on an as-needed basis. Prospective contractors must demonstrate substantial expertise in the provision of professional legal services and possess continuous capabilities to perform these services, satisfying the City's professional, administrative, and financial qualifications. Key requirements include providing a detailed description of overall experience, particularly with municipal government clients over the past three years, and submitting resumes for all key employees and attorneys assigned to the City's cases. Respondents must also exhibit a proven track record of litigation experience across Federal, Superior, Appellate, and Workers’ Compensation courts. Mandatory compliance with New Jersey statutes such as N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. (Affirmative Action), N.J.A.C. 17:27 et seq. (Contract Compliance and Equal Employment Opportunities), N.J.S.A. 52:32-44 (Business Registration of Public Contractors), and N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2 (Disclosure of Ownership) is required, alongside confirmation of appropriate federal and state licenses. Firms must also disclose any immediate relatives who are City employees or elected officials and provide details on malpractice insurance coverage, with minimum limits of $1,000,000.00 per claim and $3,000,000.00 aggregate. Qualification Statements must be submitted in a sealed envelope, comprising one original, four copies, and one compact disk (CD) set, to the East Orange Office of Procurement. Submissions must be either mailed or hand-delivered to Lisa L. Jackson, Office of Procurement, East Orange City Hall, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, New Jersey 07018. Facsimile or email transmissions will not be accepted. A separate Qualification Statement is required for each legal service applied for. The absolute deadline for receipt of Qualification Statements is **November 19, 2020, at 12:00 P.M.** The submission package must include various mandatory forms, such as Business Entity Disclosure Certification, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Disclosure of Ownership Form, Insurance Requirement Acknowledgement Form, and a Letter of Intent, among others. A non-refundable fee of $25.00 is charged for physical RFP packets picked up on site. For further inquiries, Lisa L. Jackson can be reached at (973) 266-5162.