The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's top lawyer, General Counsel Paige Graves, is stepping down at the end of July, an announcement that comes just months after reports detailed significant increases in the agency's legal expenditures. Graves, who earned more than $344,000 in 2025, informed staff of her departure in an email on June 30, stating it was time for her to "begin a new chapter."
Her resignation follows a New York Post investigation in May that revealed the MTA had outsourced millions of dollars in legal work to private law firms. The agency acknowledged paying over $10 million to six firms in recent years but declined to specify the amount of taxpayer money allocated to these external legal services. Sources familiar with the agency's operations suggested that Graves' departure, with only a 30-day notice and no immediate successor named, was not typical for an executive-level position and hinted at potential pressure.
Graves has led the MTA's legal team of 350 attorneys since 2022. Her annual salary of over $344,000 surpassed that of Governor Kathy Hochul, whose salary was $250,000 in the same year. MTA CEO Janno Lieber's total pay was recorded at nearly $470,000. Graves' tenure at the MTA included previous roles as vice president and general counsel for the MTA Bus Company and a two-year period at the Long Island Rail Road before assuming leadership of the main agency's legal arm. She is a graduate of the Wharton School and Hofstra Law School and previously worked as a forensic litigation consultant at KPMG.
The MTA has not yet named a successor for Graves, and the agency did not immediately comment on her resignation.