Special Legal (Conflict) Counsel Services for City Council

The City of East Orange, New Jersey, is actively soliciting Qualification Statements for Special Legal (Conflict) Counsel Services to support its City Council. This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeks highly experienced attorneys and law firms to provide comprehensive legal representation, advice, and counsel specifically when the City's Law Department faces a conflict of interest. The extensive scope of work includes defending claims and filing lawsuits on behalf of the City Council, preparing detailed reports, offering legal guidance on litigation, regulations, and ordinances, and interacting effectively with both the City Administration and its insurance carriers regarding legal issues. Additionally, selected counsel will be required to attend meetings as requested by the Mayor and Council, ensuring independent and expert legal support is consistently available for critical municipal matters. This procurement adheres to New Jersey's 'Pay-to-Play' Law (N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.5 et seq.) and municipal ordinances, ensuring a fair and transparent selection process. Prospective contractors must meet stringent qualifications, including being licensed and in good standing with the New Jersey Bar Association. Firms or individuals are required to demonstrate a minimum of ten (10) years of experience providing legal services to municipal or government entities within New Jersey, with a proven track record in municipal litigation and/or serving as Special Counsel to governing bodies. Sufficient staffing must be available to effectively manage the outlined scope of services. Mandatory professional liability insurance coverage is required, with limits of at least $1,000,000.00 per claim and a $3,000,000.00 aggregate per policy period, provided by a carrier rated AAA by Best Insurance Digest. A critical requirement is that the attorney or firm must not have represented any adverse parties or claims against the City of East Orange within the three years preceding the submission. No mandatory pre-bid meetings or site visits are indicated, but detailed RFQ packets are available for a non-refundable printing and administrative cost of $25.00. Qualification Statements must be submitted by mail or hand-delivered to the East Orange Office of Procurement, directed to the attention of Lisa Jackson, at East Orange City Hall, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, New Jersey 07018. Submissions via facsimile or email are strictly prohibited. The firm and final deadline for all submissions is 12:00 P.M. on November 10, 2021. Each submission must include one original, four copies, and one compact disk (CD) set, sealed individually. Required documentation includes a Bidder's Affidavit, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Disclosure of Ownership Form, Insurance Requirement Acknowledgement, Mandatory Equal Employment Opportunity Notice, a copy of the New Jersey Business Registration Certificate, Professional Service Entity Information Form, Qualification Submission Form, Acknowledgment of Corrections, Statement of Indebtedness, Agreement for Payment of Commodity/Service Form, Letter of Intent, and Letter of Qualification. The resulting contract term will not exceed one year, with compensation at an hourly rate of $125.00, capped at $30,000.00 per individual matter. For any inquiries regarding this solicitation, the Designated Contact Person is Lisa L. Jackson, Office of Procurement, reachable at (973) 266-5162.