Contracts and Real Estate - Law Department

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Administrative Law And Regulatory Litigation

Affirmative Litigation

Appeals

Commercial And Real Estate Litigation

Contracts And Real Estate

Economic Development

Environmental Law

Ethics And Compliance

Family Court

General Litigation

Labor And Employment Law

Legal Counsel

Municipal Finance

Risk Management

Special Federal Litigation

Tax And Bankruptcy

Tort

Workers' Compensation


Contracts And Real Estate

The Contracts And Real Estate Division provides counseling services to City agencies and officials on transactional matters. Division attorneys evaluate and approve City agreements, leases, business documents, and contracts totaling approximately $10 billion annually. They also structure, negotiate, and draft complex agreements entered into by City agencies. Business and land use restrictions and considerations that do not apply to the private sector can make their work even more complex—for example, the need to award, within certain limits, contracts to the lowest bidder to protect the public interest. Division lawyers are highly trained in regulations and statutes applicable to municipal contracts and real property transactions as well as administration, budget, and public policy concerns and general commercial law.

What New Attorneys Do

Division attorneys counsel City agencies and officials on transactional matters. New lawyers begin with a focus on statutes and regulations applicable to municipal contracts and real property transactions as well as administration, budget, and public policy concerns and general commercial law. A primary responsibility of Division attorneys is to review and approve various City agreements and real estate documents for legal sufficiency and compliance with governing statutes and regulations. New attorneys participate in this review and advise agencies on the processes that must be followed to enter into such agreements. New attorneys also assist in drafting various documents that originate in the Division and comment on drafts of documents, such as procurement Requests for Proposals, created by other agencies. Finally, the Division acts as transactional counsel on special projects at the request of the Mayor’s Office and City agencies. In doing so, Division attorneys structure, negotiate, and draft complex agreements. New attorneys are often asked to conduct legal research and analysis in connection with these agreements.

What Summer Interns Do

Summer interns in the Division assist attorneys with various aspects of the Division’s matters. Work may include research and analysis of legal issues related to contracts or real estate transactions to address specific questions; writing memoranda; and attending and participating in Division meetings and meetings with agency clients. Some recent research topics have included social policy requirements for procurements, requirements for service of lien discharge bonds, liquidated damages, prevailing wage requirements, landlords’ construction work issues, deed restrictions and modifications, data breach, and enforceability of confidentiality requirements. Interns in the Contracts and Real Estate Division will gain insight into the day-to-day workings of the City and the legal exploration of new City initiatives as they arise.
Read the Law Department's Annual Reports for More Information about the Contracts And Real Estate Division