New York City’s Law Department is about to get a serious (and overdue) reboot. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced last week that Steven Banks will take the helm as Corporation Counsel, pairing the appointment with an ambitious plan to expand the department by at least 200 lawyers.
Mamdani didn’t mince words about the current state of affairs. “There’s a clear need for a few hundred additional lawyers at the Law Department, just from the beginning of it,” he said, pointing to the growing need for legal services for immigrant New Yorkers. He added that the Law Department, once “on the front lines of equal rights across the country,” has been “hollowed out” in recent years. His goal? A Law Department that is fully staffed, assertive, and unapologetically engaged in advancing the administration’s agenda.
Enter Banks, whose résumé reads like a blueprint for exactly that kind of transformation. Banks spent three decades at the Legal Aid Society, building a career around public service and impact litigation. Banks spent eight years in NYC government too, as commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services under Mayor Bill de Blasio. Most recently, he led the pro bono department at Paul, Weiss, where he was responsible for steering one of Biglaw’s most powerful institutional resources toward public-interest work.
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And then came the Trump deal.
Banks didn’t quietly shuffle along when Paul, Weiss capitulated to Donald Trump, striking a deal that promised the president $40 million in pro bono services. Instead, he very publicly quit in a move that spoke volumes about his professional priorities. In a legal market that too often treats “principles” as optional when powerful interests come calling, Banks made it clear that his weren’t for sale.
That makes him a fitting choice to lead a Law Department that Mamdani wants back on offense.
“I know firsthand the key role that the staff of the Law Department can play in supporting [Mamdani’s] vision and agenda for transformative change,” Banks said, emphasizing that the job is ultimately about helping New Yorkers.
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In an era when too many institutions are shrinking back, cutting deals, or retreating into defensive crouches, New York City is signaling something different. With Steven Banks at the helm, the Law Department looks poised to become a legal engine for the public good.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].