Attorney General-Elect Letitia James today announced the first major appointments to the Attorney General’s office including her current First Deputy Public Advocate Ibrahim Khan as her Chief of Staff, Jennifer Levy as her Chief Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice and José Maldonado as her Chief Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice.
“In order to have an Attorney General’s Office doing everything possible to stand up for the rights of New Yorkers, we must have the best and brightest leading the office. With decades of experience in government and the law, these three individuals will bring unparalleled expertise to the office and to the frontlines to protect all New Yorkers. I am confident they will lead our state forward,” said James.
Khan is a veteran professional in New York’s policy and political circles, and has a broad mix of both policy and campaign strategies. In this capacity, Khan served first as served as Chief of Staff and later First Deputy Public Advocate under James as public advocate.
Under Khan’s leadership, the office passed more laws than all previous public advocates combined including filing litigation to protect elderly New Yorkers and vulnerable children, successfully pushing the largest New York City pension fund to divest from fossil fuels and gun retailers, conducting investigations into city contracts and issuing policy recommendations in a variety of areas.
“There’s no greater calling than public service and, during these times, no better place to serve than the New York Attorney General’s Office – a bulwark against those who wish to roll back our rights. I am eager to get to work helping Attorney General-Elect Letitia James to protect and defend the rights of all New Yorkers,” said Khan.
Levy is the supervising attorney for the Civil Law Reform Unit (CLRU) at the Legal Aid Society. The CLRU engages in legislative advocacy and oversees the class action and affirmative litigation for Legal Aid’s civil practice primarily in housing, health, government benefits, immigration, and homeless rights.
Most recently, Levy acted as counsel in a class action on behalf of 3,000 youth challenging the Trump administration’s denial of humanitarian immigration relief for 18-21 year-olds, and another representing separated children placed in Office of Refugee Resettlement in New York State. Prior to joining the Legal Aid Society, Jennifer served as the General Counsel in Charge of Litigation for the Public Advocate under James.
“I am honored to be a part of making Letitia James’ vision for the Office of Attorney General a reality. I have spent my career fighting to advance social justice and will continue to fight tirelessly on behalf of the people of New York under Attorney General James’ leadership. She has been a fierce advocate throughout her life and I know that as our next Attorney General she will continue to pursue justice for all New Yorkers,” said Levy.
Maldonado has held leadership positions under four New York City mayors and a New York State Attorney General. His service with the city includes appointment as the first Chair of the Business Integrity Commission, Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Commissioner of the Department of Juvenile Justice, Chair of the Procurement Policy Board, Commissioner of the Civil Service Commission and Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Justice Matters with the New York City Police Department.
Maldonado also served as an assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office and was subsequently promoted to the position of Chief Assistant to the City-wide Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor. At the state level, Maldonado served as the Deputy Attorney General for the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit where he directed the nation’s largest unit dedicated to investigating and prosecuting health care crime and nursing home patient abuse.
“The New York State Attorney General’s Office has long been the strongest office we have to protect New Yorkers and I know this legacy will only grow stronger under Attorney General Letitia James. I am proud to join this administration and help use its power to take on the forces that seek to challenge our rights and rollback our progress. New Yorkers are lucky to have a proven fighter in Attorney General-Elect Letitia James at the helm,” said Maldonado.
Previous to the key staff announcements, James announced a stellar transition team including five exemplary members of the legal community who will lend their expertise to develop the Office of Attorney General’s initiatives and recruit top legal talent to ensure that the rights of all New Yorkers are protected.
The five co-chairs are: Loretta Lynch, Former United States Attorney General; Robert Abrams, Former New York State Attorney General; Jonathan Lippman, Former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals; Julissa Reynoso, Partner at Winston & Strawn and Former United States Ambassador to Uruguay and Craig Boise, Dean of Syracuse University College of Law.
Additionally, the transition team launched its official website, which will host all the updates about Attorney General-Elect James’ team and priorities, as well as serve as a portal for interested candidates.
The website is: www.transition-tishjames2018.com.
