{"id":222522,"date":"2026-05-06T21:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/222522\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T21:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:58:11","slug":"civic-fame-awards-former-nyc-legal-eagles-emphasize-the-importance-of-public-service-while-accepting-new-york-law-school-honors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/222522\/","title":{"rendered":"Civic Fame Awards: Former NYC legal eagles emphasize the importance of public service while accepting New York Law School honors"},"content":{"rendered":"

A collection of former high-ranking city officials, including the woman who spearheaded the investigation that led to ex-Mayor Eric Adams\u2019 indictment, emphasized the importance of dedicated public service as they were honored Wednesday with the New York Law School\u2019s<\/a> Civic Fame Award.<\/p>\n

Former Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant, former City Council Member and Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodinick, former Small Business Services Commissioner Dynishal Gross and former city Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber<\/a>, who led the investigation that spurred Adams\u2019 federal indictment, all called the award, which recognizes excellence in public service, an honor.<\/p>\n

\"\"Former city Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber speaks at New York Law School\u2019s Civic Fame Award event.Michelle Phang, New York Law School<\/p>\n

According to Strauber, hat\u2019s important while in a public service position is staying true to the mission of the role, regardless of what\u2019s going on outside of it. A former federal prosecutor, she continued her investigation into Adams\u2019 conduct forcefully, even though he had initially appointed her to the role.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the last administration, the city faced unprecedented corruption at senior levels of government,\u201d Strauber said. \u201cDOI followed the facts rigorously and objectively no matter the target, worked closely with our prosecutorial partners to investigate and bring criminal charges where warranted and to recommend critical policy and procedural reforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"New York Law School professor Ross Sandler introducing the Civic Fame program.Photo by Isabella Gallo<\/p>\n

Even though the indictment her investigation resulted in was ultimately dismissed, that didn\u2019t diminish its importance, said New York Law School Programs Director Ben Max, who introduced Strauber, referencing a conversation he\u2019d had with her weeks after its dismissal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe spoke to the department\u2019s work being full of integrity, and that the case being dismissed was not about the merits of the work,\u201d said Max, also a longtime city reporter. \u201cShe stood by all of the investigative work and continued to be a champion for simply doing the work that you\u2019re hired to do and carrying out the duties of this historic and essential part of city government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goode-Trufant, who held every leadership position possible at the Law Department during her 34 years of service there, emphasized the value of doing the right thing to serve the city and the rule of law, even when it\u2019s taxing and time-consuming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Former Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant speaks about her time at the city\u2019s Law Department.Photo by Isabella Gallo<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200b\u200bI believe the Law Department\u2019s objective has been and remains the true administration of justice,\u201d Goode-Trufant said. \u201cUpholding the rule of law is not without risk, and it often is not the most expedient thing to do, yet it is necessary work for the true administration of justice at the Law Department.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat necessary work occurs notwithstanding fiscal crises in the midst of natural disasters, in response to terrorist attacks, despite global pandemics, and in support of the operation of every aspect of the government of the city of New York,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe true administration of justice continues to require that lawyers working in public service keep truth, fairness and the common good foremost in their considerations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Goode-Trufant speaks as she accepts her New York Law School Civic Fame Award.Michelle Phang, New York Law School<\/p>\n

New York Law School Dean and President Anthony Crowell, who helped moderate the event, said honoring those who carried out public service with integrity is more important than ever as the rule of law is tested, public confidence in institutions and leadership has declined and politics has become increasingly polarizing.<\/p>\n

\"\"Former Small Business Services Commissioner Dynishal Gross speaks at New York Law School\u2019s Civic Fame event.Michelle Phang, New York Law School<\/p>\n

\u201cOur four honorees have demonstrated all the best qualities we would want in our public service: leadership, courage, commitment, innovation and lasting impact,\u201d Crowell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"former City Council Member and Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodinick speaks before accepting the Civic Fame award.Michelle Phang, New York Law School<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have led during a variety of crises, through which, while deeply challenging and disruptive, also demonstrated why public service lawyering is the highest calling in our profession,\u201d Crowell continued. \u201cRegardless of events outside their control, they provided stability, maturity and clear vision for agencies and their staff, and as a result, have made a real difference in the lives of all New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A collection of former high-ranking city officials, including the woman who spearheaded the investigation that led to ex-Mayor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[29604,2710,87577,9,11,10,12889,2611],"class_list":["post-222522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-jocelyn-strauber","tag-law","tag-muriel-goode-trufant","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-law-school","tag-public-service"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}