Seth Agata, Former Head of NY Ethics Watchdog, Joins Jenner & Block
Agata, who was previously acting counsel to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, will help expand the firm's work assisting clients with their compliance with, and disputes related to, lobbying, election and public ethics laws in New York, other states and Washington, D.C.
July 11, 2019 at 01:44 PM
3 minute read
Seth Agata, the former executive director of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, has joined the Manhattan office of Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block, where he will work in its litigation department, the firm confirmed Thursday.
Agata, who was previously acting counsel to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, will help expand the firm's work assisting clients with their compliance with, and disputes related to, lobbying, election and public ethics laws in New York, other states and Washington, D.C.
“After almost 25 years of government service, I'm excited to join Jenner & Block, a firm with a rich tradition of excellence, dedication to pro bono and commitment to serving the public,” Agata said. “I look forward to working with top talent across offices and to helping augment the firm's compliance platform.”
Agata had been the head of JCOPE, the state-funded ethics watchdog organization for lawmakers and lobbyists, for the last three years before announcing his departure in May. He served briefly as chair of the New York State Public Employment Relations Board and was previously acting counsel to Cuomo. He was also a longtime attorney for the State Assembly.
His work while leading JCOPE is expected to translate well to his position at Jenner & Block. The organization oversees regulations concerning lobbying and ethics laws in New York, including enforcement for any violations. The organization created a sweeping set of lobbying regulations while he was at the helm, for example.
“We are pleased to welcome Seth to the firm,” said Susan Kohlmann, Jenner & Block's New York office managing partner and a member of the firm's Policy Committee. “His experience at the highest level of state government and knowledge of public ethics and lobbying law compliance, as well as his litigation skills, will be a tremendous benefit to clients.”
Agata's tenure at JCOPE hasn't always gone smoothly. The agency has been faulted for decisions that critics have interpreted as going easy on those who've been accused of violating parts of the state's ethics laws.
Sam Hoyt, a former state economic development official, had been cleared by JCOPE of wrongdoing last year, for example, after he had been accused of sexually harassing a former state employee. Hoyt and the accuser did not work in the same areas of the government, but Hoyt paid her $50,000 not to speak about their relationship. The decision from JCOPE ultimately said the claims against Hoyt weren't credible.
But the organization has also taken action against violators on several other occasions. Earlier this week, for example, JCOPE settled with an employee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for using state time to conduct business related to an electronics repair company he owned.
Critics of the group, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, have called for it to either be reorganized or scrapped altogether and replaced with a more comprehensive body. It was created in 2011 by a broader ethics reform bill supported by Cuomo.
Lawmakers have attempted to build on the state's ethics laws since then—especially given the federal convictions of a handful of lawmakers on charges of public corruption in recent years—but good government groups have continuously pushed for stronger reforms.
READ MORE:
NY Lawmakers, Attorneys Propose New Ethics Watchdog Modeled on Judicial Conduct Monitor
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllFederal Judge Pauses Trump Funding Freeze as Democratic AGs Plan Suit
4 minute readRelaxing Penalties on Discovery Noncompliance Allows Criminal Cases to Get Decided on Merit
5 minute readBipartisan Lawmakers to Hochul Urge Greater Student Loan Forgiveness for Public-Interest Lawyers
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250