The Department of Law is divided into nine principal Practice Groups.
The Litigation and Claims Practice Group is the largest of the divisions. The litigation practice encompasses hundreds of cases in a wide range of areas, including constitutional and public law, contracts, torts, education, environmental law, personnel, planning, and zoning. The Central Bureau of Investigation handles claims against the City, and investigates, adjusts, and settles claims for damages to privately-owned automobiles, private property and citizens.
The Collections Practice Group is responsible for collecting money owed to the City, which can involve bankruptcy, real estate, enforcement of money judgments, and open tax sales.
The Corporate Practice Group handles all corporate, commercial, and real estate matters involving the City.
The Contracts Practice Group approves all contracts entered into by the City. The City Charter requires that all contracts be approved for form and legal sufficiency prior to approval by the Board of Estimates. Art. VII, §24(b).
The Labor and Employment Practice Group represents the City in state and federal court, prepares responses to charges of discrimination with the EEOC, Baltimore Community Relations Commission, and the Maryland Commission on Human Relations, represents City agencies before the Civil Service Commission and the Office of Administrative Hearings on cases involving suspension, demotion and termination, conducts training on City policies and procedures, and advises City agencies.
The Land Use Practice Group practices in four principal areas: condemnation (eminent domain), zoning and planning, environmental law, and construction/demolition/rehabilitation of property.
The Legal Advice and Opinions Practice Group provides formal and informal legal opinions as to the interpretation of the law and how it affects various agencies of the City.
The Office of Legal Affairs, Baltimore Police Department, handles all legal matters for the Police Department. It defends the Department in civil litigation, provides legal advice, reviews contracts, handles forfeitures and criminal subpoenas, manages the Police Department’s public Information requests, and assists with ongoing training for members of the Department.
The Minority and Women's Business Opportunity Office (MWBOO) is responsible for certification of MBEs and WBEs, maintaining a directory of certified businesses, investigating alleged violations of the M/WBE ordinance, maintaining statistics on availability and utilization of MBEs and WBEs, setting annual participation goals, setting contract participation goals on a contract by contract basis, setting participation goals on city-assisted projects, and providing assistance to bidders and developers in identifying M/WBE firms.