REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS - POLICE PRACTICES DEFENSE COUNSEL SERVICES & INSURANCE COVERAGE DEFENSE COUNSEL SERVICES

The City of East Orange, a municipal corporation in New Jersey, is soliciting Qualification Statements from experienced legal professionals for two distinct services: Police Practices Defense Counsel Services and Insurance Coverage Defense Counsel Services. For Police Practices Defense Counsel, the City requires litigation and defense representation for its police officers facing employment-related lawsuits, including but not limited to claims under the Tort Claims Act (N.J.S.A. 59:1-1 et seq.), Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA, N.J.S.A. 34:19-1 et seq.), Laws Against Discrimination (LAD, N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 et seq.), 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983 actions, contract disputes, and challenges to government actions. For Insurance Coverage Defense Counsel, the City seeks expertise in negotiating insurance contract terms, advising on rights and obligations under insurance policies, acting as legal representatives for claims, presenting claims, negotiating recoveries, and pursuing claims through various adversarial proceedings like declaratory judgment actions, mediation, and arbitration. Selected firms will work closely with the City's Law Department on an "as needed" basis, providing representation across all litigation aspects, including pleadings, motions, discovery, depositions, settlement conferences, pre-trial motions, and trials, with compensation set at an hourly rate of $125.00 per hour. The City aims to establish a pool of approved attorneys for these critical legal services. Prospective contractors must demonstrate extensive qualifications, including a proven record of litigation experience in Federal, Superior, Appellate, and Workers’ Compensation courts. Respondents are required to detail their overall experience in providing similar professional legal services, provide references, and list relevant municipal government clients from the last three years. Essential administrative requirements include submitting an executive summary, an executed Letter of Qualification, and a description of the business organization, including ownership details. Furthermore, firms must provide resumes for key employees and attorneys who will be assigned to the City’s cases, a narrative statement of their understanding of the City's needs, and disclose any immediate relatives who are City employees or elected officials. All professional service contractors must comply with New Jersey's Affirmative Action requirements (N.J.S.A. 10:5-33 et seq., N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq., N.J.A.C. 17:27 et seq.), Business Registration of Public Contractors (N.J.S.A. 52:32-44), and Disclosure of Ownership (N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2). Malpractice insurance coverage limits must also be disclosed. Qualification Statements must be submitted by mail or hand-delivered to the East Orange Office of Procurement, Attn: Lisa L. Jackson, East Orange City Hall, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, New Jersey 07018, no later than 12:00 P.M. on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. Submissions via facsimile or email will not be accepted. Each legal service applied for requires a separate qualification statement, submitted individually in a sealed envelope, comprising one original, four copies, and one compact disk (CD). Detailed RFQ packets are available for download from the City's website or can be picked up from the Division of Procurement, City Hall, 1st Floor, between 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, at a non-refundable cost of $25.00 per packet, payable to the City of East Orange. The City reserves the right to reject any or all Qualification Statements and to waive informalities.