Request for Qualifications for Labor Counsel Services

The City of East Orange, New Jersey, is soliciting Qualification Statements from highly experienced and qualified Special Legal Counsel to provide expert legal services in public sector labor matters. This encompasses a broad range of responsibilities, including court appearances, arbitrations, conferences, negotiations, and general legal research pertinent to labor and employment issues. Furthermore, the selected counsel will be instrumental in representing the City during the negotiation and preparation of collective bargaining agreements with various bargaining units, interpreting and enforcing existing agreements, and handling employee disciplinary matters or other employment law matters as directed by the City’s Office of Corporation Counsel. The contract awarded will be for a one-year period, with an established hourly rate structure of $125.00 for Partners/Counsel, $95.00 for Associates, and $50.00 for Paralegals, capped at a total contract amount not to exceed $100,000.00. Prospective contractors must demonstrate profound expertise in public sector labor and employment law, possessing the professional, financial, and administrative capabilities required to deliver high-quality services. Specific submission requirements include an executive summary, an executed Letter of Qualification, and a Letter of Intent. Respondents must detail their business organization, ownership (including principals with 10% or more interest), years in business and under current management, any professional malpractice judgments within the last three years, and bankruptcy proceedings within the last ten years. Crucially, firms must confirm appropriate federal and state licenses, provide a comprehensive description of overall experience, list relevant clients (especially municipal government clients from the past three years), submit resumes of assigned attorneys, articulate their understanding of the City's needs, disclose malpractice insurance coverage limits, and demonstrate a proven record of litigation experience in the Superior Court of New Jersey or the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Qualification Statements are due by 11:00 A.M. on November 23, 2021. Submissions must be either mailed or hand-delivered to the East Orange Office of Procurement, addressed to Lisa L. Jackson, Purchasing Agent, at 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, New Jersey 07018. Submissions via facsimile or email will not be accepted. Interested parties can download the detailed Request for Qualifications from www.eastorange-nj.org or pick up a physical packet at the Division of Procurement, City Hall, 1st Floor, Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM, for a non-refundable $25.00 fee payable to the City of East Orange. All qualification statements must be submitted individually in a sealed envelope, accompanied by an original (unbound), four copies, and one compact disk (CD) set of the sealed submission. Important documents required include Non-Collusion Affidavit, Disclosure of Ownership Form, and Insurance Requirement Acknowledgement Form, among others.