The Center for City Law at New York Law School marked its 20th anniversary with a panel discussion with current and former New York City corporation counsels at its CityLaw Breakfast series Friday.

From left, Frederick A.O. “Fritz” Schwarz Jr., chief counsel to the Brennan Center for Justice; Proskauer Rose partner Michael Cardozo; Corporation Counsel Zachary Carter and Southern District Judge Paul Crotty, discussed issues that corporation counsels have faced over the years and continue to face today, including improving relations between law enforcement and the city's communities of color.

Carter said that for years, there was an “absence of real communication” between minority communities and city leaders, leading to a lack of understanding by officials about the experience of being “over-policed.” But he said the city has taken steps to bridge that disconnect, including having a more diverse city leadership and training police officers to use more discretion in their encounters with the public.