OPD Contract Attorney

The Office of State Public Defender (OPD) in Montana is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to procure contract attorney services for criminal and civil legal representation, solicitation number OPD-RFP/RFQ-2021-0092. The procurement seeks qualified private attorneys who can provide legal representation in matters where OPD is court-appointed. Interested attorneys must submit several required documents including a completed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), current resume, writing sample, proof of professional liability insurance, and most recent Continuing Legal Education (CLE) transcript. Attorneys interested in appellate cases must specifically submit an appellate brief as their writing sample. The solicitation falls under Commodity Code 3920 for professional legal services, with Jennifer Kueffler serving as the primary contact at Jennifer.Kueffler@mt.gov or +1 406-496-6089. The RFQ was opened on 10/20/2020 and has an unusually extended closing date of 1/1/2099, suggesting a continuous recruitment process for contract attorneys across Montana.

The solicitation appears to have no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types, indicating broad participation is permitted for qualified attorneys. There are no incumbent vendors or existing contractor details provided in the documentation. The RFQ does not specify a definitive award value or budget range for these contract attorney services. Attorneys must demonstrate an active or recently expired MOU with OPD and maintain professional liability insurance to be considered. While no specific integration requirements are mentioned, attorneys will need to work within the existing OPD legal representation infrastructure. The continuous nature of the solicitation suggests ongoing needs for contract attorneys across various legal matters in Montana's public defense system.