# Bayonne Awards Temporary Counsel Contract

Bayonne’s City Council unanimously awarded DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick & Cole LLP a temporary general counsel contract capped at $40,000, covering October 15 through December 31, 2026. The award followed an August request for proposals and addresses reduced in-house legal staffing alongside increased municipal legal demands. The RFP required legal support for city departments and officials and attendance at specified council, board, committee, and commission meetings.

- The short-term award gives the firm an opportunity to provide municipal legal services while Bayonne assesses its capacity to handle a growing workload with fewer in-house attorneys.
- Firms pursuing similar local-government work can use the RFP’s meeting-attendance and municipal legal-service requirements as indicators of the service scope municipalities may seek.
- The contract is active and ends December 31, 2026; the reported contract cap is $40,000.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Professional Services
**Published:** October 15, 2026

### Government Entities
- City of Bayonne

### Vendors
- DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick & Cole LLP (awardee)

### Key Quotes
> In recent years, the number of attorneys in the Bayonne Law Department has declined, and legal demands have grown both in volume and complexity. After this week, there will be just two attorneys employed by the City. The current trajectory is unsustainable, and a municipality of Bayonne’s size needs access to high-quality legal advice and expertise to scale.
> — Andrew Casais, Business Administrator

### Sources
- [Bayonne council awards general counsel contract to Decotiis, Fitzpatrick & Cole - Hudson County View](https://hudsoncountyview.com/bayonne-council-awards-general-counsel-contract-to-decotiis-fitzpatrick-cole) - Hudson County View