The Department of Law is divided into ten principal Practice Groups:

The Affirmative Litigation Practice Group  

The Appellate Practice Group, headed by the Solicitor, manages all appellate matters before state and federal appellate courts.

The Collections Practice Group is responsible for collecting money owed to the Mayor and City Council, which can involve bankruptcy, real estate, enforcement of money judgments, and tax sales.

The Contracts Practice Group approves most contracts entered into by the Mayor and City Council because the Charter requires that contracts be approved for form and legal sufficiency by a member of the Law Department. The Practice Group also provides transactional legal advice on construction, health, intellectual property, and procurement.

The Corporate Real Estate Practice Group handles a wide range of financial and real estate acquisition and disposition matters, including bond transactions, easements, title work.

The Labor and Employment Practice Group handles legal aspects of all employment matters for the Mayor and City Council, including formulation of and training on human resource related policies and procedures. The Practice Group represents the Mayor and City Council in various venues, including before the Equal Opportunity Commission, the Baltimore Community Relations Commission, the Maryland Commission on Human Relations, the Civil Service Commission and the Office of Administrative Hearings.

The Legal Advice and Opinions Practice Group provides advice on a wide range of matters impacting the Mayor and City Council, including opinions on the interpretation of city, state and federal laws and regulations.  The Practice Group reviews the form and legal sufficiency of bills before the City Council, reviews legislation introduced in the Maryland General Assembly and gives advice on responding to Public Information Act requests.

The Litigation and Claims Practice Group is the largest practice group in the Law Department. It handles both the claims and lawsuits involving the Mayor and City Council.

The Central Bureau of Investigation practice group investigates and sometimes adjusts or attempts to settle claims brought against the Mayor and City Council.

The Public Safety Practice Group provides representation and advice on a wide range of matters concerning emergency management, public safety, police administration and organization, and related areas of statutory and constitutional law. Within this group, the Office of Police Legal Affairs provides a full array of services to the Police Department of Baltimore City, including but not limited to representation of the Department and officers in state and federal courts, prosecution of internal disciplinary charges against individual officers, contracting in matters of public safety, and implementation of reforms mandated by the 2017 federal court consent decree.

The Workers Compensation Practice Group handles claims by injured City Workers for Workers' Compensation Benefits.