Zohran Mamdani Names Steve Banks as New York City Corporation Counsel Amid Clash With Trump

Incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced his pick for corporation counsel, selecting Steve Banks as the city’s top lawyer in a move that underscores his administration’s combative stance toward President Donald Trump. Mamdani revealed the appointment during a press conference on Tuesday, positioning Banks to lead an office of hundreds of city attorneys responsible for representing New York City in court and shaping its legal strategy.

Banks is expected to play a pivotal role as Mamdani advances an ambitious progressive agenda, including promises to resist federal immigration policies under Trump. The mayor-elect, a Democratic Socialist, has repeatedly criticized Trump, once calling him a despot, while Trump has publicly labeled Mamdani a communist. This political tension is likely to translate into significant legal battles, making the corporation counsel post especially demanding.

The appointment also reflects continuity with the Democratic administration of former Mayor Bill de Blasio. Banks previously served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Homeless Services during de Blasio’s tenure and has long been associated with advocacy for low-income and unhoused New Yorkers. Before entering city government, Banks led the Legal Aid Society for a decade, overseeing civil legal services for vulnerable populations across the city until 2014.

More recently, Banks worked at the elite law firm Paul Weiss, where he headed its pro bono practice. He resigned from the firm in April after it reached a controversial agreement with the Trump administration, pledging $40 million in free legal services to causes aligned with the White House in exchange for the withdrawal of an executive order targeting the firm. Banks criticized the deal, arguing that pro bono legal work was being transformed into a tool of political pressure, a concern he later shared with Reuters after several other major firms entered similar arrangements.

When leaving Paul Weiss, Banks said he planned to focus on representing organizations advocating for the homeless, a mission closely aligned with Mamdani’s policy priorities. Mamdani is scheduled to be sworn in as mayor on January 1, and Banks’ appointment signals that legal resistance to federal policies will be central to the new administration’s strategy in New York City.