Seth Agata Seth Agata

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.

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