Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Appoints Deputy Attorney General Of State Counsel

NEW YORK, NY (February 21, 2007)—Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the appointment of Justice Leslie G. Leach as the Deputy Attorney General of State Counsel.  Justice Leach will lead the Division of State Counsel, which is responsible for all litigation involving New York State, its officers, and its agencies. 

Justice Leach currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Eleventh Judicial District, Supreme Court, Queens County.  He was first appointed to the Criminal Court of the City of New York in 1993.

Attorney General Cuomo said, “I am honored to welcome Justice Leach to the Department of Law.  A dedicated public servant and a highly regarded adjudicator, he brings over twenty-five years worth of distinguished service in the New York State judicial system.  His legal expertise and commitment to justice will be a benefit to all New Yorkers.”

New York Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye said, “It is with mixed emotion that I say goodbye to my dear colleague Leslie Leach on this bittersweet occasion.  While I wish him all the best in his new position as Deputy Attorney General of State Counsel and am confident he will be an enormous asset to that office, I lament the fact that the judiciary will lose one its brightest stars.  I have worked with Justice Leach since 1983 when he was the Law Clerk to Honorable Fritz W. Alexander at the Court Of Appeals.  Since he became a judge 14 years ago, Justice Leach has been an example of judicial scholarship and strength.  His leadership in the Queens Treatment Court where he presided for five years, and as Administrative Judge for the Eleventh Judicial District, will be greatly missed.”

Justice Leach said, “A large part of the attraction to the Division of State Counsel is the opportunity to work in an office headed by Attorney General Cuomo, himself a dedicated public servant.  I am excited about beginning this new challenge and continuing my career in public service, and I look forward to joining the remarkable legal talent that Attorney General Cuomo has assembled at the Department of Law.”

The Division of State Counsel defends thousands of suits each year, in every area of state government.  The Division includes: the Civil Recoveries Bureau, which focuses on recovering non-tax revenue on behalf of state taxpayers; the Claims Bureau, which defends the State against actions involving malpractice, contract disputes, and property condemnation; the Litigation Bureau, which prosecutes and defends actions in state and federal court on behalf of State agencies, State officials, the Governor, and the Legislature in virtually all substantive areas of the law; the Real Property Bureau, which provides legal assistance to State agencies in connection with the acquisition and disposition of public land; and the Labor Bureau, which is charged with safeguarding the rights of workers by enforcing New York State's labor laws.