The Law Department, Corporation Counsel
MESSAGE FROM THE
CORPORATION COUNSEL
Linda S. Kingsley
Corporation Counsel
It is my honor and privilege to serve
as Corporation Counsel for the City of Rochester as part of the Evans
Administration. It is also my pleasure to welcome you to this site which is
intended to help you understand and navigate some of the legal issues facing
City of Rochester residents. I have served nearly my entire forty-year legal
career in the arena of state and local government law, including previously
serving as Corporation Counsel for 12 years from 1994-2005. I believe that
working in local government, and specifically in local government law, allows
you to accomplish tangible changes and react quickly to challenges in a way
that is not available at any other level of government. I have always said that
my work as Corporation Counsel for the City of Rochester was the most rewarding
work of my career and I believe that now more than ever.
First, let me explain about what the
Law Department does. While some of our work is very visible and public, other
work quietly supports the on-going operations of the City. The Department is
made up of a staff of 22 including 14 attorneys, 5 paralegals and 3 support
staff. We represent the City in a host of legal areas, including but not
limited to: advice to the Mayor, the City Council and all City departments,
agencies and boards: civil litigation (brought by the City and against the
City), real estate and land use matters including eminent domain, sale and
purchase of land, and tax assessment and foreclosure; labor and employment law;
nuisance abatement and quality of life; economic development projects;
contracts; supporting the city in critical incidents; Freedom of Information
Law and a host of other areas.
We represent the City and cannot give
legal advice to individual residents but I do view our role as working to
address problems and concerns to the benefit of the residents. This is why nuisance abatement is at the top
of my priority list. Since our arrival in January, we have closed a number of
problem properties and encouraged others to operate in a way that safely serves
City residents. We work in conjunction with the Neighborhood Service Centers
and the Rochester Police Department to achieve those goals.
While people may not always agree
with what we do, it is my goal to be transparent and up front so that it is
clearly understood why and how my department is taking certain actions. This
site will provide you with information about the Freedom of Information Law and
Open Meetings Law, the basics of how to file a claim against the City (and the
reasoning behind why some claims can be paid and others cannot) as well as
links to reach out to a number of other organizations that can provide support
on a variety of legal issues.
To file a Notice of Claim, follow the
instructions available here.
Notice of Claim Form
To submit a Freedom of Information
Law (FOIL) Request click here.
Contact Us
General Information: (585) 428-6986