NEW YORK – Long-time New York attorney Georgia Pestana has been named the city’s next corporate attorney, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday. This makes her the first woman and first Latina to head the New York legal department.
In her new role as New York’s chief attorney, Pestana will oversee the city’s 1,000 or so attorneys and 890 support professionals.
“I am deeply honored to be named the city’s 80th management consultant,” Pestana said next to the mayor on Wednesday. “I admit that I’m a little impressed with the importance of being the first woman and first Latina to suggest heading a department with such a long history,” she added.
De Blasio noted that Pestana is also the first person to be appointed to the position, having worked their way up through the ranks of the department over the years.
“She has dedicated her entire career to serving the people of New York City,” said the mayor.
Pestana, who has served as the company’s first assistant lawyer since 2015, has been selected by de Blasio to succeed her boss, Corporation Counsel James Johnson, who is heading into the private sector.
After holding the title since de Blasio’s appointment in November 2019, Johnson will soon become the new Chief Operating Officer of Trinity Church.
De Blasio described Pestana as “an exceptional civil servant” and added that she is “undoubtedly” one of the most talented and effective people working for the city.
The Mayor recognized Pestana as a key figure in saving New York City’s public housing as the city faced many challenges in its “complex” dealings with the Trump administration.
“When I started working in law straight out of law school, I never imagined that 33 years later I would be there or sit in this square to hear the New York City Mayor nominate me,” Pestana said .
She first joined the city’s legal department in 1987, immediately after graduating from NYU School of Law.
At the beginning of her tenure in the department, Pestana worked as an executive attorney and then as deputy head of the general litigation department.
In 2002, she was appointed head of the newly created Labor and Labor Law Division of the Legal Department, overseeing all legal disputes arising from the city’s role as an employer of over 300,000 employees.
Pestana was promoted again in 2013 to the role of Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel for Labor and Policy Processes.
“I know I will be the chief legal officer of the City of New York, and I will make other women and long-time employees of the city proud and make the city proud,” Pestana said.
Watch the Mayor’s full press conference here:
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