Jeffrey Pearlman
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Jeffrey Hayes Pearlman (born 1966) is an Acting Supreme Court Justice in New York County and was formerly the director of the Authorities Budget Office from 2016 to 2021 and resumed this role again in 2022. He previously served as Special Counsel to the Governor, Kathy Hochul and as Special Counsel to the Transition following the resignation of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Pearlman was previously chief of staff and Counsel to the Lieutenant Governor. Prior to this, Jeff served as chief of staff to the New York State Senate Democratic Conference. Also, Jeff was formerly Of Counsel to the law firm Greenberg Traurig, where his field of practice included Government Affairs and litigation, specializing in Ethics, Freedom of Information Law, Election Law and other client related matters. Pearlman also was an Assistant
Counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...
to
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer, who resigned, and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to ...
of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. He resides in
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
.


Education and early career

A 1989 graduate of
SUNY New Paltz The State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz or New Paltz) is a public university in New Paltz, New York. It traces its origins to the New Paltz Classical School, a secondary institution founded in 1828 and reorganized as an a ...
, Pearlman also graduated from
Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...
in 2000.Neiles, Edward, editor, ''The New York Red Book''. Albany: New York Legal Publishing. (2007) p. 31.New York Government official website Appointments page
. Accessed July 21, 2008.
New York Democratic Lawyers Council official website
. Accessed July 21, 2008.
He served as a staff person in the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...
and
New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...
from 1987 through 2006. During this time, he worked for member of the assembly
Ivan Lafayette Ivan C. Lafayette (July 28, 1930 – October 4, 2016) was an American politician who represented the 34th District in the New York State Assembly, which comprises portions of Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst. He served as Deputy Speaker of ...
, and state senators
Martin Connor Martin Edward Connor (born March 3, 1945) is a former member of the New York State Senate from Brooklyn, New York. He was first elected to the State Senate in a special election in 1978. He is a Democrat. The 25th Senate District that he repr ...
, David Paterson, Jeremy Weinstein,
Liz Krueger Elizabeth Krueger (born November 20, 1957) is an American politician. A Democrat, she represents District 28, consisting of the East Side of Manhattan, in the New York State Senate. She was first elected in a special election in 2002. Backgro ...
, Donald Halperin, and Manfred Ohrenstein. Pearlman also served as a judicial intern to
New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...
Justice Louis Benza. Pearlman was visiting clinical professor of law and director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at Albany Law School until his appointment as assistant counsel to Governor Paterson in May 2008. He was interviewed by ''
The Business Review The Business Review may refer to: *''Business Review '' Economic Insights'' (formerly ''Business Review'') is a quarterly publication of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia comprising articles written by in-house staff economists aimed at re ...
'' for his work with the clinic. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Albany Law School and The University at Albany, teaching Government Ethics. He served as a vice president of the New York Democratic Lawyers Council. In 2004 and 2006 he represented State Senator
Andrea Stewart-Cousins Andrea Alice Stewart-Cousins (née Stewart; born September 2, 1950) is an American politician and educator from Yonkers, New York. A member of the Democratic Party, Stewart-Cousins has represented District 35 in the New York State Senate since ...
in her bid to unseat State Senator Nicholas Spano. He prepared and organized a ballot protection effort that uncovered attempts by the opposition to suppress the vote on Election Day. In 2006, 2009 and 2010, he successfully represented the Democratic Party in its
election law Election law is a branch of public law that relates to the democratic processes, election of representatives and office holders, and referendums, through the regulation of the electoral system, voting rights, ballot access, election management ...
challenges to designating petitions. He has also served as a member of the
Albany County, New York Albany County ( ) is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York, United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is to the east. As ...
Democratic Committee.


Assistant Counsel to Governor Paterson

On December 31, 2006, then
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
-elect
David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer, who resigned, and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to ...
appointed as his counsel. In March 2008, after Paterson became governor, Pearlman was appointed Assistant Counsel to the Governor, Ethics Officer for the Executive Chamber and Records Access Officer, in charge of all
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act (United States) of 1966 * F ...
requests for the executive chamber.


Special Counsel to Governor Hochul

On August 24, 2021,
Kathy Hochul Kathleen Hochul ( ; ; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer who has served since 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is New York's List of female ...
assumed the Governorship of New York. Hochul brought on Pearlman to serve as her special counsel. Pearlman served in this year for one year before returning to the Authorities Budget Office. Pearlman had previously served as her chief of staff when Hochul was lieutenant governor.


Court of Claims

On June 3rd, 2024,
Kathy Hochul Kathleen Hochul ( ; ; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer who has served since 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is New York's List of female ...
nominated Pearlman to sit on the Court of Claims. The NYS Senate confirmed him on June 5th, 2024.


See also

* Charles J. O'Byrne, former Secretary to the Governor * Christopher O. Ward *
New York State Authorities Budget Office The New York State Authorities Budget Office (ABO) is an independent office in the state of New York established by the Public Authorities Accountability Act of 2005 and signed into law by Governor Pataki in 2006. In 2009, the ABO was restructure ...


Further reading

* Paterson, David ''" Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity."'' New York, New York, 2020


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearlman, Jeffrey 1964 births Living people Politicians from Albany, New York State University of New York at New Paltz alumni Albany Law School alumni Lawyers from Albany, New York