Office of the New York City Comptroller
Deputy Director of Litigation
Office of the New York City Comptroller, New York, New York, us, 10261
Deputy Director of Litigation – Office of the New York City Comptroller
Join to apply for the Deputy Director of Litigation role at the Office of the New York City Comptroller. The Comptroller’s Office promotes the financial health, integrity, and effectiveness of New York City government, building a more just and equitable city.
Authorized by the New York City Charter, the Comptroller’s Bureau of Law and Adjustment (BLA) negotiates and approves all monetary settlements of claims and lawsuits involving the City of New York. BLA investigates pre‑litigation claims, settles cases in the city’s best interest, and manages city risk by holding agencies accountable and coordinating with the Law Department and other city agencies.
The Litigation Unit primarily handles police misconduct, civil rights, and correction claims pre‑litigation, and, in conjunction with the Corporation Counsel, all personal injury matters in litigation. The Deputy Director reports to the Director of Litigation and is responsible for managing and supervising the Unit’s staff.
Key Responsibilities
Use independent discretion and judgment to evaluate, negotiate, and settle pre‑litigation claims and pending litigation on behalf of the City of New York and its agencies, with a focus on high exposure cases involving, but not limited to, all forms of personal injury, medical malpractice, police actions, civil rights, correction, and labor & employment;
Prepare legal memoranda to justify legal strategy and financial valuation of pending claims and litigation;
Supervise attorneys and claim professionals performing claim and litigation resolution functions, including reviewing and editing legal memoranda, evaluating and responding to requests for financial authority, and developing negotiation and litigation strategies;
Research and prepare memoranda on legal developments, relevant government policies, and fiscal implications of claim filing and resolution trends for presentation to executive staff;
Support the Director of Litigation with respect to managing staff assignments and day‑to‑day operations of the Litigation Unit, including all relevant HR functions such as interviewing, hiring, training, annual reviews, discipline, and other related tasks;
Train, develop, and mentor team members on legal principles and developments relevant to claims and litigation covered by the Unit;
Perform claim data research and analysis and prepare reports on claim trends to agency executives;
Extensively liaise with senior counterparts at the Office of the Corporation Counsel to develop litigation and negotiation strategy on complex high‑exposure litigation;
Extensively interface with agency senior leadership, including the Assistant Comptroller and General Counsel’s office, to develop claim and litigation resolution strategies, obtain appropriate settlement authority, and examine sensitive and confidential issues;
Interface with the agency’s technical teams to improve data retention, technological processes, and the claim database;
Liaise with fiscal services and accounting to ensure data accuracy and appropriate payment;
Cultivate relationships with external actors, including but not limited to senior officials at external agencies, judges, mediators, plaintiff and defense counsel as needed to efficiently resolve claims and litigation;
Prepare FOIL responses;
Appear in all state and federal courts in New York City on high exposure cases, as necessary;
Perform other related assignments as directed.
Minimum Qualifications Admission to the New York State Bar plus four years of recent full‑time legal experience, including eighteen months of supervisory experience. Incumbents must remain members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of employment.
Preferred Skills
Extensive litigation experience in the areas of personal injury torts, civil rights, labor and employment, insurance, and/or medical malpractice, preferably on behalf of municipal or institutional clients and of high exposure and sensitivity.
Superlative discretion, independent judgment, ethics, and the ability to properly handle confidential and sensitive material.
Clearly demonstrated supervisory experience and mentoring skills.
Outstanding writing skills, including drafting legal briefs, memoranda, training materials, and reference guides, and experience editing junior staff member’s legal written work product.
Exceptional verbal and presentation skills, including presenting cases and other important information to all levels of agency management and high level external government actors.
Attention to detail and the ability to simultaneously perform multiple tasks that require prioritization.
Exceptional analytical and negotiation skills, including negotiating high stakes matters before courts and mediators.
Excellent interpersonal and organization skills, with demonstrated ability to interact professionally and effectively with all levels of management, government officials, attorneys, judges and other court staff, and the public.
Understanding of data analytics and experience creating simple and effective visual representations of complex data sets and analyses.
Experience working on class action matters.
Fundamental understanding of the relationship between the Comptroller’s Office and City Agencies with respect to claims and lawsuits.
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 https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.
Residency Requirement New York City Residency is not required for this position.
Additional Information The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Authorized by the New York City Charter, the Comptroller’s Bureau of Law and Adjustment (BLA) negotiates and approves all monetary settlements of claims and lawsuits involving the City of New York. BLA investigates pre‑litigation claims, settles cases in the city’s best interest, and manages city risk by holding agencies accountable and coordinating with the Law Department and other city agencies.
The Litigation Unit primarily handles police misconduct, civil rights, and correction claims pre‑litigation, and, in conjunction with the Corporation Counsel, all personal injury matters in litigation. The Deputy Director reports to the Director of Litigation and is responsible for managing and supervising the Unit’s staff.
Key Responsibilities
Use independent discretion and judgment to evaluate, negotiate, and settle pre‑litigation claims and pending litigation on behalf of the City of New York and its agencies, with a focus on high exposure cases involving, but not limited to, all forms of personal injury, medical malpractice, police actions, civil rights, correction, and labor & employment;
Prepare legal memoranda to justify legal strategy and financial valuation of pending claims and litigation;
Supervise attorneys and claim professionals performing claim and litigation resolution functions, including reviewing and editing legal memoranda, evaluating and responding to requests for financial authority, and developing negotiation and litigation strategies;
Research and prepare memoranda on legal developments, relevant government policies, and fiscal implications of claim filing and resolution trends for presentation to executive staff;
Support the Director of Litigation with respect to managing staff assignments and day‑to‑day operations of the Litigation Unit, including all relevant HR functions such as interviewing, hiring, training, annual reviews, discipline, and other related tasks;
Train, develop, and mentor team members on legal principles and developments relevant to claims and litigation covered by the Unit;
Perform claim data research and analysis and prepare reports on claim trends to agency executives;
Extensively liaise with senior counterparts at the Office of the Corporation Counsel to develop litigation and negotiation strategy on complex high‑exposure litigation;
Extensively interface with agency senior leadership, including the Assistant Comptroller and General Counsel’s office, to develop claim and litigation resolution strategies, obtain appropriate settlement authority, and examine sensitive and confidential issues;
Interface with the agency’s technical teams to improve data retention, technological processes, and the claim database;
Liaise with fiscal services and accounting to ensure data accuracy and appropriate payment;
Cultivate relationships with external actors, including but not limited to senior officials at external agencies, judges, mediators, plaintiff and defense counsel as needed to efficiently resolve claims and litigation;
Prepare FOIL responses;
Appear in all state and federal courts in New York City on high exposure cases, as necessary;
Perform other related assignments as directed.
Minimum Qualifications Admission to the New York State Bar plus four years of recent full‑time legal experience, including eighteen months of supervisory experience. Incumbents must remain members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of employment.
Preferred Skills
Extensive litigation experience in the areas of personal injury torts, civil rights, labor and employment, insurance, and/or medical malpractice, preferably on behalf of municipal or institutional clients and of high exposure and sensitivity.
Superlative discretion, independent judgment, ethics, and the ability to properly handle confidential and sensitive material.
Clearly demonstrated supervisory experience and mentoring skills.
Outstanding writing skills, including drafting legal briefs, memoranda, training materials, and reference guides, and experience editing junior staff member’s legal written work product.
Exceptional verbal and presentation skills, including presenting cases and other important information to all levels of agency management and high level external government actors.
Attention to detail and the ability to simultaneously perform multiple tasks that require prioritization.
Exceptional analytical and negotiation skills, including negotiating high stakes matters before courts and mediators.
Excellent interpersonal and organization skills, with demonstrated ability to interact professionally and effectively with all levels of management, government officials, attorneys, judges and other court staff, and the public.
Understanding of data analytics and experience creating simple and effective visual representations of complex data sets and analyses.
Experience working on class action matters.
Fundamental understanding of the relationship between the Comptroller’s Office and City Agencies with respect to claims and lawsuits.
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 https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.
Residency Requirement New York City Residency is not required for this position.
Additional Information The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
#J-18808-Ljbffr