Project Information

Bid Title

RFP: PROPOSALS FOR SPECIALIZED LEGAL SERVICES

Issuing Agency

Burlington County

Location

New Jersey

Published Date

May 5, 2026

Closing Date

May 27, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

RFP: PROPOSALS FOR SPECIALIZED LEGAL SERVICES

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR SPECIALIZED LEGAL SERVICES

BURLINGTON COUNTY SOLICITOR'S OFFICE

Three copies (1 unbound) plus 1 USB Drive (in PDF format) of Responses to this

Request for Proposals including all required documentation must be received in

the Burlington County Solicitor's Office, 49 Rancocas Road, Room 225, P.O. Box

6000, Mount Holly, New Jersey 08060 no later than 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 27,

2026. Late Responses will not be considered. Responses sent via electronic mail

and/or facsimile will not be accepted.

Description of Services and Scope of Work

The County of Burlington, (“the County”), is seeking responses from qualified

attorneys/law firms, duly licensed and in good standing in the State of New Jersey, from

which submissions the County will award a contract for the following specialized legal

services:

Prosecution of the County’s claims for the recovery of costs associated with the

remediation of regulated per - and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous film-

forming foams (AFFFs, a.k.a., fire fighting foam) on property that is owned by the

County and used for a fire academy or an emergency services training center, by way of

multi-district litigation (MDL) No. 2875 that is currently pending in the United States

District Court in the District of South Carolina.

A contract will be awarded to the successful firm for the term June 1, 2026 through May

31, 2027 or until the litigation settles or concludes.

Qualification Requirements:

Each attorney/law firm proposed to provide work for the County must be licensed in the

State of New Jersey, be in Good Standing, and have at least five (5) years of

experience in the investigation and evaluation of potential environmental claims, based

in statute or common law, for, among other things, the contribution, reimbursement

and/or recovery of costs, expenses or damages related to investigation, evaluation,

preparation, construction, operation, improvement, maintenance, upgrade, removal

and/or remediation of/for PFAS contamination to property owned, operated or controlled

by potential government claimants, including any of the claimant’s fire academies or

emergency services training centers. Each attorney/law firm shall also demonstrate

similar experience and competence in the handling of related litigation in the federal

courts of the United States, and further in the handling of multi-district litigation in those

courts. Resumes demonstrating such experience must be submitted in response

to this RFP for EACH attorney proposing to be qualified.

Each attorney/law firm must execute and deliver with the response to this RFP a

certification in the form provided stating that the candidate has no conflicts of interest,

actual or apparent, that would compromise his/her independence of judgment in the

performance of the designated services.

Each attorney/law firm must comply with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq.

and N.J.A.C. 17:27. Each attorney law firm must also comply with the New Jersey

Business Registration Act and Statement of Ownership, N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2, and further

submit Certificates of Good Standing for each Attorney handling the matter.

Additional Proposal Requirements for each area of specialized legal services are

specified under the Scope of Work descriptions set forth below.

Submission of Proposals:

This RFP is open to all qualified candidates. The County of Burlington will not

discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, ethnicity, handicap or any other legally

protected class.

A review committee will be established within the Solicitor's Office which shall review

and evaluate all responses and determine a limited number of best-qualified candidates

applicants with which to negotiate. The evaluation will consider:

a. Experience and reputation in the respective areas of specialized

legal services including meeting the minimum experience requirements

set forth in this RFP;

b. Personnel Qualifications, including resumes of key individuals providing said

services.

c. Location of office relative to location of where work is to be performed;

d. Other factors, if demonstrated to be in the best interest of Burlington

County and the Solicitor's Office.

After negotiations, the review committee will present to the Board of County

Commissioners of the County of Burlington a recommendation for an award of contract

for legal services for the period June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027, or until the

litigation settles or concludes.

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Attorneys/Law Firms responding to this RFP must submit three (3) complete

copies (1 unbound) plus 1 USB Drive, (in PDF format) of their responses,

including all necessary documentation no later 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 27,

2026 to the Burlington County Solicitor's Office, 49 Rancocas Road, Room 225,

P.O. Box 6000, Mount Holly, New Jersey 08060.

Compensation:

The selected attorney/law firm (hereinafter “counsel”) will perform legal services for

Burlington County in this matter pursuant to a contingent fee agreement, whereby any

payable attorneys’ fees will only be recoverable by counsel out of the dollar amount of

any recovery that the firm obtains for Burlington County, and to the extent permitted by

applicable law and attorney ethics rules. In addition, counsel will only be eligible for the

reimbursement of costs that counsel advances during the litigation out of any recovery

that the firm obtains for Burlington County, to the extent permitted by applicable law and

attorney ethics rules.

Counsel will receive 33 1/3% of any recovery as attorneys’ fees. Counsel further

assumes responsibility for the payment of all costs associated with the investigation,

prosecution, and resolution of the matter (including litigation expenses, expert work,

discovery, trial preparation, and any other services that are required to effectively and

efficiently pursue the claim), and further ensuring that the County bears no financial

burden while the case is pending. To the extent that injunctive relief is part of Burlington

County’s recovery, the costs associated with obtaining such injunctive relief will be

included in the value of the recovery for which a contingent fee is paid. Burlington

County will not, however, be required to pay any contingency fee except from any

financial recovery obtained for the County, and to the extent permitted by law.

Contract Award:

The Contract to serve as the attorney/law firm for the designated specialized services

contained in this RFP will be awarded based on Proposals and other factors.

The conduct and performance of the attorney/law firm pursuant to the Contract awarded

through this Request for Proposals shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules and

regulations pertaining to licensed attorneys. The attorney/law firm shall at all times be

regarded as an independent contractor. Nothing herein or in the Contract shall be

construed to create and employer-employee relationship between the Board of County

Commissioners and the attorney/law firm.

Contract Performance Requirements

The selected attorney/law firm shall notify the Burlington County Solicitor, or the

Solicitor’s designee, of all activity in the litigation, by way of monthly status reports, and

by regular communications with the Solicitor and/or the designee as circumstances

require during the course of the litigation. The selected attorney/law firm shall also

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include the Solicitor and/or the designee in all meetings with expert witnesses, and with

lay witnesses, and shall further include the Solicitor and/or designee in all court status

conferences, settlement and/or mediation meetings, trial preparation meetings and

conferences, and in the preparation of significant correspondence and briefs that

counsel files on behalf of the County, preceded by sufficient notice to the Solicitor

and/or the designee and an opportunity for the Solicitor and/or the designee to review

and comment on such filings, all consistent with applicable attorney ethics rules.

Insurance:

All attorneys/law firms deemed qualified shall maintain adequate insurance coverage

during the term of any Contract awarded as a result of being selected from the Qualified

Attorney/Law firm List for a given project pursuant to the following guidelines:

a. Statutory Worker’s Compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance; and

b. Commercial General Liability including Products Completed Operations

coverage for Personal Injury and Property Damage of not less than one million dollars

($1,000,000) for each occurrence and two million dollars ($2,000,000) annual

aggregate.

c. Comprehensive Automobile Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability

coverage of not less than $1,000,000 combined single limit; and

d. Professional Malpractice Liability/Errors and Omissions insurance coverage of

not less than $1,000,000 each wrongful act, $3,000,000 aggregate;

e. Cyber Insurance coverage no less than aggregate of $3,000,000.

Prior to the effective date of this Agreement, and as a condition precedent to it taking

effect, the FIRM shall provide a Certificate of Insurance as verification of the existence

of said insurance policies. Approval of the coverage and the Certificate by the

Insurance and Risk Management Division is a precedent to the taking effect of this

Agreement. The Certificate must name the Board of County Commissioners of the

County of Burlington as an additional insured and should be issued to:

Board of County Commissioners of the County of Burlington

Attn: Insurance and Risk Management Division

49 Rancocas Road, P.O. Box 6000

Mt. Holly, NJ 08060-6000

All above-mentioned insurance policies shall be primary and noncontributory to any

other insurance or self-insurance maintained by Burlington County.

All attorneys/law firms shall provide a Certificate of Insurance as verification of

the existence of said insurance policies as part of its response to the RFP.

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Approval of the coverage and the Certificate by the Insurance and Risk Management

Division is a precedent to the taking effect of any contract awarded to any attorney/law

firm selected from the Qualified Attorney/Law Firm List for a given matter. Any

questions regarding insurance should be directed to Tami Granata, Risk Management

at (609) 702-7135.

Attorneys/Law Firms shall agree to the inclusion of the following language in any

contract ultimately awarded:

"Contractor shall be solely responsible for and shall keep,

save, defend and hold harmless the Board and it servants,

employees and agents from and against any and all claims,

demands, suits, actions, recoveries, judgments, cost and

expenses in connection therewith on account of personal

injury, loss of life, and damage and loss of real and personal

property of any person, agency, corporation, or government

entity arising out or in consequence to any acts or omissions

of Contractor, his employees, agents and subcontractors, in

the performance of the work covered by this Agreement or

the failure to comply with the terms and conditions of this

Agreement."

The attorneys’/law firm's conduct and performance pursuant to any contract awarded for

any area of specialized legal services shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules and

regulations pertaining to licensed attorneys. The attorneys/law firms shall at all times be

regarded as an independent contractor. Nothing herein shall be construed to create

and employer-employee relationship between the Board and the attorneys/law firms.

Certificates of Good Standing for Attorneys shall be ordered through the New Jersey’s

Courts.

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541110Offices of Lawyers

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