[2] The department is headed by the Corporation Counsel, Muriel Goode-Trufant, the 82nd official to hold this position, confirmed in December 2024.
Among the department's other duties are drafting contracts, leases, municipal bond issues, and other legal documents for the city; reviewing local and state legislation; and providing legal advice to city officials on a wide variety of issues.
The revision established an independently elected chief executive officer known as the Corporation Counsel, and a staff of five, to be known as the Law Department.
Later, the Corporation Counsel began being appointed by the Mayor of New York City, as is still the case today.
The department also prepares amicus curiae briefs in many major court cases.