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Michael A. Cardozo

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Michael A. Cardozo
Caucasian exhibiting male-pattern baldness smiling; wearing spectacles, a blue suit and red tie
Cardozo in 2013
77th Corporation Counsel of New York City
In office
January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2013
MayorMichael Bloomberg
Preceded byMichael D. Hess
Succeeded byZachary W. Carter
Personal details
Born(1941-06-28)June 28, 1941
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 23, 2025(2025-07-23) (aged 84)
White Plains, New York, U.S.
Spouse
Nancy Caryn Cogut
​
(m. 1965)​
Children2
Alma materColumbia Law School
OccupationLawyer

Michael A. Cardozo (June 28, 1941 – July 23, 2025) was an American lawyer. From 2002 through the end of 2013, he was the Corporation Counsel for the Government of New York City, appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Cardozo was a partner at the law firm Proskauer Rose, and a former president of the New York City Bar Association.

Early life and education

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Michael A. Cardozo was born on June 28, 1941, in New York City to homemaker Lucile and real estate broker Harmon Cardozo.[1][2] He grew up in the Upper West Side of New York City, before moving to Westport, Connecticut while in grade school.[2] He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1963 from Brown University, and his Juris Doctor degree in 1966 from Columbia Law School.[2][3] He clerked for Judge Edward Cochrane McLean from 1966 to 1967.[2]

Career

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In 1967, Cardozo joined the law firm of Proskauer Rose and became a member of the Litigation Department. He became a partner in 1974 and served in that capacity until 2002, when he was appointed Corporation Counsel of New York City.[3] While at Proskauer, Cardozo helped to develop the firm's sports law practice and represented, among other clients, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer.[2] Cardozo was elected three times to the firm's executive committee and co-chaired its litigation department from 1987 to 1991.[4]

In 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed him the City's 77th Corporation Counsel, the City's chief legal officer. He held that role for 12 years, for the full three-term tenure of the Mayor, the longest anyone has served in that capacity since the Office was created in the mid-19th century.[5][3] Under Cardozo, the city vigorously defended stop-and-frisk practices.[6] He also worked to address illegal guns, and on initiatives to ban smoking and require calorie information to be posted in restaurants.[7] In 2009, 18 of 20 judges from the First Judicial Department of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court signed a letter rebuking Cardozo for his "imperious" criticisms of the court's culture, which he had said was introducing delays.[8]

From 1996 to 1998, Cardozo was president of the New York City Bar Association.[3]

In 2014, Cardozo was succeeded by Zachary W. Carter.[6] That year, he returned to Proskauer.[7] In 2019, he successfully represented Judith Alice Clark, the getaway driver in the 1981 Brink's robbery, in seeking parole after having served 39 years in prison.[9] Cardozo retired from Proskauer at the end of October 2022.[10] In September 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Cardozo to the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. He was re-appointed in 2024.[11][12]

Cardozo was a longtime member of the board of the Citizens Union government reform organization.[13] He was a member of the advisory board of the legal education non-profit Legal Outreach.[12] He also served as Chair of the Columbia Law School Board of Visitors,[7] and the Fund for Modern Courts, a non-partisan citizen organization devoted to improving New York State courts.[12] He also previously chaired the New York State Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation.[12] He chaired two court-system task forces appointed by New York Governor Mario Cuomo and Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Sol Wachtler.[5]

Personal life and death

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Cardozo married Nancy Caryn Cardozo (née Cogut) in 1965. They had two children.[14] Cardozo split his time between New York City and Scarsdale, New York.[2] Cardozo's great grandfather's first cousin was United States Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo.[15][2]

Cardozo died after a brief illness on July 23, 2025, at the age of 84.[14]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Harmon Cardozo, 59, Dies; A Realty Executive Here". The New York Times. May 28, 1973. p. 18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Wise, Daniel (August 15, 2005). "Under Cardozo, Law Department Strives for a Big-Firm Image" (PDF). New York Law Journal. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Chan, Sewell (April 3, 2009). "Cardozo Sets Record for Tenure as Corporation Counsel". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  4. ^ Third Annual Diversity Champion Award (PDF) (Report). 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "In Memoriam: Michael A. Cardozo". New York City Bar Association. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Correal, Annie (December 29, 2013). "De Blasio Names City's Top Lawyer, Appearing to Signal a Further Shift in Policy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Michael Cardozo '66 Recounts Career in Government Service, Obligations of Chief Legal Officers". Columbia Law School. April 22, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  8. ^ Chen, David W. (December 17, 2009). "From State Judges, a Rebuke of a Top Bloomberg Adviser". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  9. ^ Gold, Michael (April 17, 2019). "Judith Clark, Getaway Driver in Deadly Brink's Heist in 1981, Is Granted Parole". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  10. ^ Lee, Brian (July 24, 2025). "Michael Cardozo, Former NYC Corporation Counsel and Proskauer Partner, Has Died". Law.com. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  11. ^ Lewis, Rebecca C. (July 13, 2022). "New York's new ethics agency is still taking shape". City & State NY. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d "Governor Hochul Announces Renomination for the Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government" (Press release). Governor Kathy Hochul. August 19, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  13. ^ "Citizens Union on the Passing of Board Member, Michael Cardozo" (Press release). Citizens Union. July 24, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Michael Cardozo Obituary (1941 - 2025) - Legacy Remembers". Legacy.com. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  15. ^ "Columbia Law School : Cardozo in the Wings: Part 1". Archived from the original on December 22, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  16. ^ 55th Annual George A. Katz Torch of Learning Award Luncheon (PDF) (Report). April 2025.
  17. ^ "Wien Prize Awarded to Cardozo and Michelson" (Press release). Columbia Law School. November 5, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  18. ^ "Cyrus R. Vance Tribute". The Fund For Modern Courts. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  19. ^ Emory Buckner Award (PDF) (Report). Federal Bar Council. August 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  20. ^ "Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to Honor Law Department Staff at 32nd Annual Awards Ceremony" (PDF) (Press release). New York City Law Department Office of the Corporation Counsel. December 12, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  21. ^ "Past Awards Dinner Honoree Biographies". Citizens Union. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  22. ^ Please join us as we honor (PDF) (Report). Fund for Modern Courts. October 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  23. ^ Flaherty, Scott (September 1, 2015). "Lifetime Achiever: Michael Cardozo, Proskauer Rose". American Lawyer. Law.com. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  24. ^ "New York Urban League Frederick Douglass Dinner 2016". Harlem World. May 24, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  25. ^ "2017 Human Relations Award Luncheon Honoree: MICHAEL A. CARDOZO". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
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