Randy Mastro has since withdrawn his nomination for role of NYC's corporation counsel
Lawyer Randy Mastro has revealed an ongoing arbitration dispute with his former firm – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP – during a recent confirmation hearing for the position of New York City’s corporation counsel.
According to Mastro, the confidential arbitration involved issues in connection with the terms of his exit from Gibson Dunn in 2022. During his time with that firm, he led its litigation department and its New York office, said Reuters in an article. He subsequently worked at King & Spalding LLP, which Reuters called a rival firm.
Mastro has since withdrawn his bid for the post in the face of criticism about his prior work, Reuters later reported.
“As much as I respect the City Council's role and looked forward to representing it with the same professionalism and responsiveness as the rest of City government, I will apparently be denied that opportunity, based on a hearing that was anything but fair,” said Mastro in a letter to New York Mayor Eric Adams.
The disclosure regarding the arbitration concerning Gibson Dunn came as Mastro, who was nominated by Adams, testified at a hearing before the New York City Council’s rules committee, Reuters said.
Mastro informed Reuters two years ago that he chose to depart from Gibson Dunn partly due to the firm’s requirement that equity partners retire by age 68. Mastro was 65 years old at the time, Reuters noted.
At the hearing, Mastro refused to disclose his Gibson Dunn salary information, which he called confidential and private, but he told the committee that he provided this information to New York's Department of Investigation as part of a background check, Reuters said in its article.
The department later confirmed that it did not release such details to the public, the article stated.
Gibson Dunn is among the highest-earning law firms in the U.S., Reuters noted. If his bid for the role had succeeded, Mastro would have served an indefinite term and would have earned an annual compensation of US$253,000, Reuters added.
During the hearing, Mastro told the committee members that accepting the role would involve a “tremendous, personal sacrifice” for him, Reuters reported.
The committee’s members also asked Mastro questions about various other subjects, such as his years of work as an aide to former mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to the article.
Mastro refused to comment on his testimony at the hearing, Reuters said. Gibson Dunn and King & Spalding did not respond immediately to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Reuters noted that Gibson Dunn has been involved in another dispute with Mark Perry, previously one of its partners and co-leader of its appellate and constitutional law practice, with a California court upholding an arbitral decision requiring the firm to make future retirement payments and to give Perry US$557,000.
