Adams celebrates Muriel Goode-Trufant’s confirmation as NYC corporation counsel

Mayor Eric Adams today applauded the confirmation of Muriel Goode-Trufant as New York City’s 82nd Corporation Counsel.

The City Council approved her nomination with a decisive 41-7 vote. Goode-Trufant, who has spent over 30 years with the New York City Law Department, has been serving as acting corporation counsel since this summer.

“Muriel Goode-Trufant’s deep legal expertise and decades of experience as a public servant have made her fully prepared to serve our entire city government and help lead New York City forward in her new role as the city’s chief lawyer,” said Mayor Adams. “Thank you to my colleagues in the City Council for their fair and timely consideration of such a supremely qualified and capable nominee.”

Goode-Trufant, who expressed gratitude for the opportunity, stated, “It is an honor to serve as New York City’s 82nd corporation counsel and to lead the finest public law office in the country. I thank both Mayor Adams and the City Council for nominating and confirming me for this position. I look forward to continuing my work with the dedicated members of the Law Department, who embody the principles of fairness and justice as they work to further the interests of the city.”

As corporation counsel, Goode-Trufant will oversee the Law Department, responsible for representing the City of New York in civil litigation involving city offices, agencies, and the City Council. She succeeds Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix, who retired earlier this year.

Goode-Trufant’s distinguished career in the New York City Law Department began in 1991 as an attorney in the General Litigation Division. She later held several prominent positions, including assistant chief of the division, equal employment opportunity officer, and chief of the Special Federal Litigation Division. In 2015, she became the Law Department’s managing attorney, and in 2023, she was appointed first assistant corporation counsel. Prior to her work in New York, she was an associate at the Philadelphia law firm Cohen, Shapiro, Polisher, Shiekman, and Cohen.

Goode-Trufant has been recognized for her legal achievements, receiving the Corporation Counsel’s Award for Distinguished Legal Service in 2011. She holds a law degree from Temple University School of Law and a degree from the University of Pennsylvania.