As Baltimore nears a recommendation for a police monitor under a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice, Venable remains as the only law firm in a select group of finalists vying for the role. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, meanwhile, has signed on for an additional three years—and fees of up to $6.4 million—in a similar role in New Orleans after its selection in 2013.

Venable is one of four finalists for the Baltimore police monitoring role, called for in a consent decree reached with the Justice Department following an investigation launched in the wake of Freddie Gray's 2015 death from injuries suffered while in police custody.

The Baltimore consent decree, approved in April by U.S. District Judge James Bredar, calls for wide-ranging reforms to the city's policing after the DOJ found shortcomings in its stop, search and arrest practices, and allots up to almost $1.5 million per year to pay for monitoring compliance over a three-year period.