With Mayor Eric Adams and top aides facing a tangle of investigations and lawsuits, he is quietly maneuvering to replace New York City’s top lawyer with a veteran litigator known for his aggressive tactics, two people who are familiar with the matter said.
The city is in the final stages of hiring Randy Mastro, a former federal prosecutor who served as chief of staff and deputy mayor to former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican, according to the two people, who were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
The city’s current corporation counsel, Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, a former judge who served in the role for nearly two and a half years, is expected to leave the administration.
Mr. Mastro has met with City Hall aides to discuss the job, and the city’s Department of Investigation has been notified that he is expected to join the administration, according to one of the people, and it will conduct a background investigation.
Mr. Mastro also notified his law firm, King & Spalding, about his likely departure for the position, according to another person who was familiar with the matter.
Mr. Adams, a Democrat who is running for re-election next year, most likely wants an assertive defender representing him and his administration, and Mr. Mastro fits the bill.
Since leaving the Giuliani administration, Mr. Mastro has honed a reputation as a legal pit bull for his aggressive approach. He was hired in 2014 by former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican of New Jersey, to conduct an internal review of the George Washington Bridge lane closings, and is representing New Jersey in its opposition to the congestion pricing plan to charge drivers entering Midtown Manhattan.
Mr. Mastro has represented other prominent clients, including members of the powerful Durst real estate family and the company that operates Madison Square Garden and is led by the entertainment and sports mogul James Dolan.
He would take a large pay cut: The corporation counsel earns $253,000 a year. His appointment must be confirmed by the City Council.
Fabien Levy, a spokesman for the mayor, said, “No appointment is confirmed until and if it is announced.” Mr. Mastro did not immediately respond.
The city’s corporation counsel leads the Law Department, which provides legal representation to the city, its agencies and the mayor in civil litigation. Ms. Hinds-Radix and her office have been representing Mr. Adams in a sexual assault lawsuit accusing him of assaulting a colleague in 1993 when he was a police officer.
The corporation counsel’s office recently hired a prominent outside lawyer, Alex Spiro, as a co-counsel in that case. Mr. Spiro is a defense attorney who has represented famous clients, including the billionaire Elon Musk and the rapper Jay-Z.
Mr. Spiro and his firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, will be paid by the city at a lower rate than usual, charging the city $250 an hour for partners and $175 an hour for associates, according to the city’s Law Department.
Ms. Hinds-Radix was named by Mr. Adams as the city’s corporation counsel in January 2022 during his first month in office and confirmed by the City Council. She had previously served as an associate justice of the New York State Appellate Division and led the mayor’s swearing in on New Year’s Eve in Times Square.
Mr. Adams has strenuously denied the sexual assault allegations against him, which were revealed in a legal complaint last month. A former colleague said that Mr. Adams asked her for oral sex in exchange for career help and sexually assaulted her when she refused.
Ms. Hinds-Radix has appeared with Mr. Adams at news conferences, along with the mayor’s chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, who is responsible for advising him on key policy and legal issues. Both have defended the mayor and rebuffed questions from journalists about the various investigations. Ms. Hinds-Radix was not present at the mayor’s weekly City Hall news conference on Tuesday.
Mr. Adams and Mr. Mastro appear to be friendly. Mr. Mastro donated $2,100 to Mr. Adams’s re-election campaign last October — after donating to his first mayoral campaign in 2021 — and appeared with him at City Hall in 2022 to announce a legal fellowship program.
Mr. Mastro praised the mayor’s efforts on crime, homelessness and the city’s economic recovery from the pandemic and said it was an “easy call” to help the mayor with the program.
“We, like you Mr. Mayor, love this city, and we want to see you succeed,” he said.
