Muriel Goode-Trufant confirmed as head of NYC Law Department

The City Council voted to approve Muriel Goode-Trufant as New York City’s top lawyer on Thursday evening.
Goode-Trufant, who was already in the corporation counsel post in an acting capacity, was approved to keep the job in a permanent role by a 41-7 vote.
“I thank both Mayor Adams and the City Council for nominating and confirming me for this position,” Goode-Trufant said in a statement. “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.”
At her confirmation hearing last month, Council members expressed their relief at her nomination — in stark contrast to the mayor’s previous pick to fill the job, Randy Mastro, who faced a brutal hourslong hearing in August.
“What I will do from the day I am confirmed, for as long as I am privileged to serve, is to build up the department so they can face whatever challenges come their way,” Goode-Trufant said at her confirmation hearing last month.
The Law Department veteran has been serving as acting corporation counsel since her predecessor, Sylvia Hinds-Radix, stepped down in June.
“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,” Adams wrote in a statement. “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 previously served as the Law Department’s first assistant corporation counsel starting in February 2023. Her new, permanent role entails leading the department and representing the mayor, City Council and city agencies in court.
“She has shown that she will lead the Law Department with thoughtful consideration to the needs of the city, and I look forward to working with her in her new role,” Councilmember Keith Powers, who chairs the Council Rules Committee, said in a statement.