Steven Banks, who spent more than three decades at The Legal Aid Society, including a stint as attorney-in-chief, and close to a decade as commissioner of New York's Department of Social Services, has joined Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as special counsel in the firm's pro bono practice. 

Banks said the move to Big Law was a "natural progression" given that he had plied his trade in both the nonprofit and government sectors. He said Paul Weiss is a good fit given the issues the firm chooses to address in its pro bono work.