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 recently 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 David Paterson of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He resides in Albany, New York.

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 ac ...

, Pearlman also graduated from Albany Law School 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 Assem ...

and

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

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 o ...

, 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 Jeremy S. Weinstein (born June 30, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life Jeremy Weinstein was born on June 30, 1950, in New York City. He attended Jamaica High School. He graduated from York College CUNY and Brooklyn La ...

Liz Krueger Elizabeth Krueger (born November 20, 1957) is a member of the New York State Senate, representing District 28 on the East Side of Manhattan. First elected in a special election in 2002, Krueger is a Democrat. Background Krueger was born in New ...

Donald Halperin Donald Marc Halperin (July 25, 1945 – June 26, 2006) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Early life He was born on July 25, 1945, the son of Charles Halperin and Gladys Halperin. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School. He g ...

, and

Manfred Ohrenstein Manfred Ohrenstein (born August 5, 1925) is a lawyer and Of Counsel to the New York law firm of Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C. He is a former member of the New York State Senate. A Democrat, he represented Manhattan from 1961 until 1994. From 19 ...

. Pearlman also served as a judicial intern to

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

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'' 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 in her bid to unseat State Senator

Nicholas Spano Nicholas A. Spano (born May 21, 1953) is a Republican politician from New York. Biography Spano's paternal grandfather, also named Nicholas, emigrated with two brothers from the Italian province of Bari to the United States in 1918. Spano's fa ...

. 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 b ...

challenges to designating petitions. He has also served as a member of the

Albany County, New York Albany County ( ) is a county in the state of 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 of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 3 ...

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 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 1982, the Australian act * ...

requests for the executive chamber.

Special Counsel to Governor Hochul

On August 24, 2021, Kathy Hochul 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 nominated Pearlman to sit on the Court of Claims. The NYS Senate confirmed him on June 5th, 2024.

References

External links

New York Government official website
{{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