The Center for New York City Law, Building Upon a Legacy of Success and In-Depth New York City Coverage Over 30 Years, Will Get a New Name and Offer an Expanded Set of Programs Led by a Team of Experts on City and State Issues
Today, New York Law School Dean and President Anthony W. Crowell, along with Samuel Seabury Professor of Law Ross Sandler, announced that NYLS’s Center for New York City Law is now The Center for New York City and State Law.
At a time of intense focus on the role of state governments, today’s change reflects the growing breadth of the Center’s extraordinary work, spanning more than 30 years, which has always understood the impact of State law on New York City. The Center’s new name signals its programmatic expansion, with plans for more reporting, analysis, and civic dialogue on the law, government, and public policy of both the City and the State. This expanded focus includes more attention to the impact State law has on the City’s laws, operations, and administration, as well as a full range of the complex intergovernmental dynamics between the state and all local governments more broadly.
Founded in 1994 by Professor Ross Sandler, the Center hosts the widely recognized CityLaw Breakfasts that have welcomed nearly 200 prominent guest speakers, and publishes CityLaw and CityLand, covering a range of important legal and policy matters. It also maintains CityAdmin, a vast repository of City administrative tribunal decisions, which is an invaluable transparency measure and public resource. The Center regularly sponsors government-related continuing legal education (CLE) annual programs, including the New York City Property Tax CLE, co-hosted by the New York City Tax Commission. The Center gives the prestigious Civic Fame Award recognizing distinction in public service. The Center is also the home of the New York Elections, Census, and Redistricting Institute. And, most recently, the Center began producing the widely recognized Max Politics podcast, which features in-depth interviews with New York newsmakers by veteran journalist Ben Max, the Center’s new Executive Editor and Program Director.
In recognition of Professor Sandler’s work over three decades, and his lifetime of public service, which included serving as Commissioner of the City’s Department of Transportation, and Special Advisor on Public Transportation to Mayor Edward I. Koch, Dean Crowell appointed Professor Sandler last month as the Samuel Seabury Professor of Law and Founding Director. Seabury, a graduate of the New York Law School Class of 1893, is one of the most storied and consequential public servants in New York State history. The Center for New York City and State Law will establish an annual Samuel Seabury Lecture focused on public integrity in honor of Professor Sandler and his wife Alice M. Sandler. In May 2024, Paul and Chandler Tagliabue and Arthur and Diane Abbey established the Ross Sandler and Alice M. Sandler Fellowship Fund to support current New York Law School students working in government.
Dean Anthony W. Crowell, who served as Counselor to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for more than a decade, will serve as the new Center’s Faculty Director. In collaboration with Professor Sandler, Ben Max, and a growing team of experts, Dean Crowell will lead the Center in its new format, adopt a strategic plan with the Center’s expanded team and faculty colleagues across the School, and continue to co-teach the Center’s signature course, State and Local Government Law. As Founding Director, Professor Sandler will continue to host CityLaw Breakfasts, write scholarship and commentaries for the Center’s publications, and provide advice and guidance to the Center. As Executive Editor and Program Director, Ben Max will coordinate implementation of the strategic plan, lead publication content and program development, and manage the Center’s day-to-day operations.
Arthur N. Abbey ’59, Chair of the NYLS Board of Trustees said that “Professor Ross Sandler and the Center for New York City Law are part of New York Law School’s foundation. Professor Sandler’s appointment as the inaugural Seabury Professor of Law is a hard-earned and deserved recognition of his work, which will continue to benefit our school and our students. I am eager to see the Center for New York City and State Law expand its focus and serve as an important part of New York’s civic community.”
Charles Phillips ’93, NYLS Trustee and Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Recognize said, “New York Law School’s Center for New York City Law has long been a convening authority for informative discourse about public policy, civic engagement, legal trends, and economic development. Educators, practitioners, City leaders, and all New Yorkers benefit from the exchange of insights and ideas at the Center. The expanded Center for New York City and State Law will build on this legacy by driving broader and richer dialogue that will help shape the effectiveness of our government and the future of our City and State.”
Anthony W. Crowell, Dean and President, Professor of Law, and Center Faculty Director said “The Center for New York City Law for over thirty years has showcased New York Law School as a launching pad for public service legal careers, and a forum where lawyers and policy and civic leaders come together for substantive and meaningful dialogue. Professor Sandler is an extraordinary leader and tireless advocate for public service. I am proud and fortunate to call him a mentor and dear friend of more than 20 years, and to recognize his achievements as the inaugural Samuel Seabury Professor of Law and Founding Director. I look forward to working with Professor Sandler, Ben Max, and our expanded team to extend the Center’s coverage to State law and increasing its presence as an indispensable forum for engagement and commentary on the most pressing issues facing the State and City of New York and beyond.”
Ross Sandler, Samuel Seabury Professor of Law and Center Founding Director said “The Center for New York City Law and New York Law School have been my work for thirty years. I am thrilled to see the Center grow and expand for new generations of law students and for those working in government. The Center’s central purpose has always been to respect government service and work to help those in government achieve their highest purposes. The new programs created by the Center for New York City and State Law will continue in that tradition.”
Ben Max, the Center’s Executive Editor and Program Director,said “It’s an exciting time as we build the next chapter of civic engagement at The Center for New York City and State Law, including more programming and a deeper focus on the enormous impact State law has on the City. Through events, written publications, and podcasts, we will continue to bring more voices into the civic dialogue, provide incisive commentary, and engage New Yorkers in closer examination of our government, policy-making, and laws. I am looking forward to building on the Center’s tremendous legacy, leading these new efforts with Dean Crowell, and working with our team at the Center.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “For decades, the New York Law School Center for New York City Law has served as an important part of our civic community, educating future lawyers and providing a place for legal scholars, community leaders, and public servants to engage in meaningful and important dialogue. The Center’s new programs will bring so many important voices to the table to examine our government, policy, and laws and the overall relationship between the city and state. I look forward to working with the Center for New York City and State Law and the future leaders of our great state.”
Acting Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant of the New York City Law Department said,“Civic knowledge and education are at a perilous juncture today in the City, State and Country. Maintaining and expanding a civil, insightful dialogue remains critical to shore up the public’s confidence in government, belief in municipal service and trust in the justice system. There isn’t an institution better equipped than New York Law School to meet that challenge. Our office has long worked with – and recognized the expertise and dedication of — New York Law School. The Center has been at the forefront of enlightening the legal and broader community on the many nuances and complexities of New York City laws. The addition of a state law component strategically and logically expands the Center’s brand and breadth. This change also builds upon New York Law School’s fine reputation as the pre-eminent law school for lawyers looking to enter government service.”
Focus on Elections and Redistricting
As a demonstration of the Center’s growing focus on State legal and policy matters, in 2019 it became home to the New York Elections, Census, and Redistricting Institute, a “first of its kind” program created by Professor Jeffrey M. Wice, a renowned expert in election and redistricting law. The Institute provides assistance throughout New York State and nationally on all aspects of the census and redistricting processes, and has been a unique and invaluable resource on New York State’s complicated election law. The Institute tracks relevant developments across the city, state, and country and reports on them in a weekly publication, N.Y. Elections, Census & Redistricting Update. The Institute has provided invaluable guidance and strategy suggestions to local governments throughout the state and is involved in the efforts to develop a more effective New York State congressional and state legislative redistricting process in response to the challenges that arose in the last cycle.
The Institute is also currently taking a leading role in educating New Yorkers about the New York State’s “John R. Lewis” Voting Rights Act, a new law expanding voting protections for minority communities which may require many county, city, and town governments to change their electoral systems from at-large to single-member districts.
Professor Wice, who is also a long-time counsel to the New York State Legislature and has assisted in all congressional and state legislative redistricting processes since the 1980 cycle, and previously served as Special Counsel to the Assembly Speaker said, “As New York continues to reform its election laws, make it easier to vote, and further protect minority voting rights with a new state voting rights act, I look forward to bringing New York Law School’s efforts into more and more communities across the state, helping local governments and citizen activists empower more voters. We are proud to have been able to have made an impact on the state’s recent redistricting process and look forward to helping make it even better before 2030 through our Institute’s work.”
Focus on Policing Accountability and Excellence
The School’s 21st Century Policing Project (P21) will now be housed within the Center for New York City and State Law, as well as within the Impact Center for Public Interest Law where it has been housed since its founding in 2021. P21 is led by Professor Kirk Burkhalter ’04, a professor of criminal law and retired NYPD first-grade detective. P21 develops strategies with law enforcement departments and municipalities around the country to implement police reforms and to improve the relationship between police departments and the diverse communities they serve. P21’s affiliation with the Center will create expanded synergies and opportunities for P21 and enhance the Center’s voice in matters concerning law enforcement locally and statewide.
New Programs Focused on Supporting Law Students and the Legal Profession
While continuing existing programs, the Center will offer an expanded programmatic line-up that will capitalize on its strengths and build new ones to attract and serve an even broader audience, including budget and policy briefing events. In doing so, the Center will increase its in-person events, social media presence, and online resources to serve its audience.
New programs will include convening general counsels from City and State agencies, partnering with associations of city and county attorneys for programming and technical assistance, and developing written explainers and offering essential commentary important City and State public policy matters. In addition, the Center, in partnership with the New York City Law Department, will host a New York Law School Law Review symposium in Fall 2025 focusing on the City’s Lawyers in Times of Crisis. Professor Stephen Louis, Distinguished Fellow in State and Local Government Law and Counsel to the Center, will spearhead many of these efforts.
Professor Stephen Louis, who previously served as Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel and Chief of the Division of Legal Counsel at the New York City Law Department, said “It is tremendously important that members of the general public, the legal and academic communities, and officers and employees of local and state government all have the trustworthy resources they need to navigate these challenging and complex times. By gathering and disseminating the vast knowledge and wisdom of experts and practitioners, the Center for New York City and State Law will be able to continue and expand upon its vital mission of providing thoughtful guidance on the issues New York City and New York State are confronting. In my years working as an attorney for New York City, I always took into account the closely intertwined relationship of New York State and New York City, so I am now excited to see this relationship explicitly recognized by New York Law School, as it expands and deepens its programming.”
A New Law and Leadership Institute
The Center will also be home to a new Law and Leadership Institute with programming for emerging public sector leaders and young professionals, especially students. The Institute incorporates NYLS’s current leadership training which was designed to teach the art of leadership through a variety of inter-related and interdependent lenses and is adding new and expanding programming to give students and young alumni broader opportunities to build their leadership skills inside and outside of law school. Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Matt Gewolb, former Legislative Director of the New York City Council, will co-lead the Law and Leadership Institute with Dean Crowell. The Law and Leadership Institute will host a growing group of Senior Fellows who will engage in a variety of ways from mentoring and teaching students, to writing scholarship and commentaries for Center publications, hosting programs, and working with faculty. Senior Fellows include:
- Judge Anthony Cannataro ’96 of the New York Court of Appeals. The Judge is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor and teaches New York State constitutional law at NYLS.
- Assembly Member Robert Carroll ’13 of the New York State Assembly, 44th District, in Brooklyn. The Assembly Member is an Adjunct Professor teaching Drafting: Legislation at NYLS.
- James Caras, former General Counsel of the New York City Council and an Adjunct Professor who teaches Drafting: Legislation at NYLS. He is a member of the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government.
- Pei Pei Cheng de Castro ‘00, most recently Deputy Counsel to New York Governor Kathy Hochul ‘23 (Hon.). She is a Partner at Barclay Damon LLP, and has had a distinguished career in State government.
- Mark Chiusano, journalist and author of the books The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos, and Marine Park.
- Amy Loprest, former Executive Director of the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
- Grace Rauh, Executive Director of the 5 Boro Institute, a think tank co-located at NYLS. She is a former NY1 News on-air political reporter, guest host of “Inside City Hall,” and host of the “Off Topic/On Politics” podcast.
- Arvind Sohoni, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at the New York City Housing Authority.
- John Sweeney ’88, former Workers’ Compensation Division Chief at the New York City Law Department, and Of Counsel at Bond, Schoeneck & King; and
- Justice Carolyn Walker-Diallo ‘03 of the New York State Supreme Court, Kings County and the Administrative Judge of the New York City Civil Court. She is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor who teaches Drafting: Litigation at NYLS.
Matt Gewolb, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and former Legislative Director of the New York City Council, said“The Center for New York City and State Law will serve as an invaluable resource to the civic, legal, and policymaking community and provide exceptional learning and training opportunities for our students. The Law and Leadership Institute will prepare students for impactful careers in public service and allow them to learn from an extraordinary roster of Senior Fellows. I look forward to working with the entire Center team to guide the next generation of leaders in our profession.”
NYLS students affiliating with The Center for New York City and State Law will gain hands-on experience, build their leadership skills, and develop professional networks within City and State government. They will take advantage of a broad array of available courses, including State and Local Government Law, the Gotham Honors Specialized Externship Program, State and Local Tax Law, Land Use Law, Policing the Police, Legal Journalism: Reporting the City, Elections Redistricting and Voting Rights, Voting Rights and Redistricting: Reshaping American Democracy, and specialized externships in Labor and Employment Law and Tort Law with the New York City Law Department. Many of these students will benefit from the new Ross Sandler and Alice M. Sandler Fellowship Fund, which provides funding to current New York Law School students working for government. One third of New York Law School students graduate and take roles in public service, including state and federal clerkships. NYLS ranks #2 in the United States overall for public sector placement, just ahead of Georgetown University Law Center, according to a report released in December 2023 by the New York Law Journal.
In addition to the Center staff mentioned above, we would also like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions that Veronica Rose ’18, CityLand Editor, and Rose White, Center Coordinator, make each day to the Center’s vital mission.