New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix. Courtesy Photo
   NYC Corporation Counsel Unveils 2 New Divisions on Ethics and Risk
   Management
   The Law Department is actively hiring to staff its new ethics and
   compliance and risk management divisions.
   April 13, 2023 at 03:29 PM
    2 minute read
   State and Local Government
   Emily Saul
   Emily Saul More from This Author
   The New York City Law Department on Thursday announced the creation of
   two new legal divisions: ethics and compliance and risk management.
   The divisions build out preexisting areas within the Corporation
   Counsel, which is actively recruiting to fill the new positions.
   “The Law Department is known for integrity and high ethical standards.
   Our new Ethics and Compliance Division will support that great
   tradition and provide a resource for attorneys across City government,”
   New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix said in a
   statement. “The Risk Management Division will build upon the existing
   work of our Risk Unit within the Tort Division, which has worked for
   years to monitor trends in Tort litigation to reduce issues that give
   rise to lawsuits.”
   The Ethics and Compliance Division will expand past work to train and
   counsel Law Department employees, in addition to elected officials and
   employees of any New York City agency regarding legal ethics,
   privilege, representation, and any matters involving sanctions. The
   unit will also provide counsel on a number of federal, state and local
   compliance matters in attempts to reduce risk to city finances and
   operations.
   The division will serve as the Conflict Interest Board liaison,
   verifying that Law Department employees remain in compliance with
   Chapter 68 of the city charter. Chapter 68 addresses conflicts of
   interest.
   Any city lawyers appearing before the Attorney Grievance Committee will
   be represented by counsel from the division, as will the five district
   attorney’s offices and the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office in any
   proceedings before the New York State Commission on Prosecutorial
   Conduct.
   The Risk Management Division will work with city agencies to try and
   reduce the potential for harm, and, therefore, future lawsuits against
   the city.
   To do that, the unit will coordinate with the Law Department’s
   E-Discovery Division to grow its current preservation program, and
   train agencies and staff regarding the importance of early preservation
   of evidence and the creation and maintenance of data that can be used
   to defend against future actions.