The mission of the Law Department is to provide vigorous and successful advocacy of the interests of the City in litigation matters; protect the corporate and financial interests of the City in the negotiation and consummation of contractual, financial, and real estate transactions; aggressively defend the City in liability cases; enhance and expand a collections effort; and provide sound legal advice and counsel to the Mayor, City Council, and City departments, boards, and commissions.
The Department of Law is an agency of the City established
by the City Charter. The head of the Department is the City
Solicitor, who is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by
the City Council. Under the City Charter, the City Solicitor
is the legal adviser and representative of the City and
its several departments, officers, commissions, boards and
authorities, and has general supervision and direction of
the legal business of the City.
In addition to overseeing the Department of Law, the City
Solicitor is a member of the Board of Estimates. The Board
of Estimates formulates and executes the fiscal policy of
the City. The Board holds formal hearings and approves operating
and capital budget requests, and is responsible for awarding
contracts and supervising all purchasing by the City. The
City Solicitor serves on the Board of Estimates with the
Mayor, the President of the City Council, the Comptroller,
and the Director of the Department of Public Works.
The Litigation and Claims Division 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 Division 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 Division handles all corporate, commercial, and real estate matters involving the City.
The Contracts Division 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 Division 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 Division practices in four principal areas: condemnation (eminent domain), zoning and planning, environmental law, and construction/demolition/rehabilitation of property.
The Legal Advice and Opinions Division 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. To reach the MWBOO webpage, click here.
George Nilson, City Solicitor
Donald R. Huskey, Deputy Solicitor
Elena DiPietro, Chief, Legal Advice and Opinions Division
Shirley Williams, Chief, Minority and Women's Business
Opportunity Office
Carolyn A. Espy, Chief, Collections Division
Gary Gilkey, Chief, Labor & Employment Division
Sandra R. Gutman, Chief, Land Use Division
Richard E. Kagan, Chief, Corporate Division
Justin J. King, Central Bureau of Investigation
David Ralph, Chief, Litigation Division
Leslie S. Winner, Chief, Contracts Division