General Counsel

The New York City Comptroller’s Office works to promote the financial health, integrity, and effectiveness of New York City government, in order to strengthen trust, secure a thriving future for all New Yorkers, and build a more just, equitable, and resilient city. Led by an independently elected citywide official, the comptroller’s office provides checks and balances needed to hold City government accountable for budgeting wisely, investing responsibly, operating efficiently, acting fairly, living up to its obligations and promises, and paying attention to the long-term challenges we face together.

The Office of the General Counsel is responsible for all legal matters relating to the work of or affecting the operations of the Comptroller’s Office. This includes issues relating to procurement rules and City contracts; accounting practices and disclosures; settlement of claims brought on behalf of and against the City; prevailing wages on City projects; records access; public policy; proposed federal, state, and local legislation; and transactions for the five New York City Retirement Systems (Systems) and their public market, private market, and real estate investments. The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) interacts with numerous city agencies, including the New York City Law Department, and works closely with all the Bureaus within the Comptroller’s Office.

The General Counsel will report to the First Deputy Comptroller.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Provides general oversight and management of the OGC team, which consists of about 20 individuals, mostly attorneys. Acts as a first point of contact for agency staff’s legal questions, delegating assignments to other OGC attorneys as necessary. Oversees Deputy and Associate General Counsels on a wide range of legal issues, consulting with subject matter experts and escalating issues as appropriate;

- Provides Bureau-specific legal support and counseling; coordinates with the New York City Law Department on document holds, discovery requests, and litigation strategy;

- Oversees the Bureau of Law and Adjustment and Engineering team on the settlement of claims brought on behalf of and against the City of New York;

- Supervises OGC team responsible for responding to FOIL requests and press questions. Acts as liaison to press staff for legal and other risk issues. Assists in reviewing and crafting statements where legal issues are raised;

- Works with Policy team on major initiatives and reports to assess regulatory environment, flag critical legal issues, and resolve jurisdictional questions;

- Advises Bureau of Public Affairs on how to address or direct constituent questions concerning matters of a legal or sensitive nature;

- Advises the Bureau of Asset Management’s Chief Compliance Office on ethics/compliance issues including outside events and personal trading, reviews Due Diligence Questionnaires and other disclosure forms on request, and addresses any other select legal-compliance issues that arise from time to time as well as issues relating to the Trustee role, and assisting with data requests and other information related to litigation strategy;

- Consults with and advises the IT team on a wide range of ad hoc IT legal issues, such as contracting matters and data privacy;

- Partner with the IT team to develop and maintain the agency’s AI governance policy ensuring it complies with applicable laws and regulations; operationalize AI ethics principles into actionable guardrails and staff training for the use and implementation of AI tools.

- Perform other related assignments and special projects as may be required.

EXECUTIVE AGENCY COUNSEL -

Minimum Qualifications

Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Preferred Skills
- Clearly demonstrated extensive litigation experience - Ability to analyze and communicate complex legal issues to various audiences - Strong people skills and leadership/supervisory skills - Demonstrated commitment to public service and strong work ethic - Experience with City contracts (including the procurement, award and approval of such contracts) - Experience conducting investigations - Exceptional organization skills and attention to detail and, - Exceptional oral communication and writing skills.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at class="jobad-residencyRequirement">Residency RequirementNew York City Residency is not required for this position