Ali Najmi, a top aide to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, has drawn criticism for his involvement in a promotional video for the personal injury law firm Liakas Law, PC. The video, posted on social media in February, features Najmi boasting about the firm’s extensive network within New York City, including a photograph of him with Mayor Mamdani.
The video, shared on Instagram, shows Najmi at an apparent food distribution event with Mamdani and members of the law firm posing with City Councilwoman Crystal Hudson. This promotion has raised concerns among good government advocates regarding the separation between public service and private professional activities.
"Public servants, including those serving on boards and commissions, need to have bright lines between their public and private work, and should not be engaging in activities that make it appear that they are drumming up business based on their connections to government," said Rachael Fauss, a senior policy advisor at Reinvent Albany. Fauss also suggested that the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary should publicly disclose its recusal policies to clarify firewalls between board members and private business interests.
City Hall stated that the administration was unaware of the video and had no involvement in its production or release. A spokesperson for the mayor's office confirmed that the video was independently produced by the law firm and released in February after Najmi’s January 2 appointment to the judicial board.
Najmi’s role as a "special counsel" for Liakas Law, previously reported, had already ignited questions about potential conflicts of interest, particularly the possibility of a top city official influencing mayoral positions on matters affecting the firm. Experts had previously drawn parallels to former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s arrangement with a personal injury firm.
Najmi has defended his actions, stating he received clearance from the city’s Conflict of Interest Board to litigate cases against the city while serving on the judicial committee. He affirmed his adherence to the committee’s Code of Conduct. The committee is responsible for nominating candidates for family, civil, and interim criminal court positions.
Liakas Law spokesman Hank Sheinkopf defended the promotional video, asserting the firm's commitment to community service and legal advocacy. "We are proud to stand with community leaders to feed families, support children, and strengthen neighborhoods, while fighting in the courtroom to protect New Yorkers from the largest corporations and make our city safer," Sheinkopf said. "Trying to weaponize photographs of community service says far more about the criticism than it does about our commitment to New York."
City Councilwoman Crystal Hudson also supported Najmi, describing him as operating with "honesty, transparency, and integrity" and calling him an "upstanding attorney."