Karl J. Sleight

Karl provides strategic counsel to clients who operate in highly regulated environments that include active government oversight and scrutiny. Karl is recognized for his successful accomplishments and is regularly named to the City and State Law Power 100 that lists the 100 most powerful people in New York State politics working in law. 

Karl’s experience spans across a broad spectrum of industry sectors including gaming, health care, energy and emerging industries such as cannabis. In addition to advising clients on governmental ethics and lobbying compliance matters, Karl represents individuals, businesses and institutions in complex civil litigation and government administrative investigations against the State Attorney General. He regularly represents clients in high profile matters containing public and political sensitivities, including numerous Fortune 100 companies as well as private citizens and political figures involved in government inquiries. Karl is also an accomplished trial attorney. 

Karl has served as counsel to casinos with mobile sports wagering interests on a variety of matters. In the first New York State casino site selection competition (2014), he successfully navigated the process for his clients, which led to his client securing a commercial casino license.  Notably, Karl is a licensed horse owner, a member of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders and the managing partner of a racing stable that annually finishes in the top 10 percent by earnings of all licensed owners in North America, which uniquely positions him in his representation of entities in the thoroughbred racing arena. He is a frequent speaker at symposiums on cutting edge topics in the field of gaming and racing, including the annual August industry conference in Saratoga Springs. Karl has experience serving as special counsel for professional sports leagues, including Major League Baseball.

Karl regularly serves as counsel in high-profile government inquiries. He was engaged as counsel in both of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Moreland Commission investigations. An experienced trial lawyer, Karl also represents selected individuals and businesses in white collar criminal defense matters. Since returning to private practice in 2007, he was lead counsel in the jury trial of a corporate executive who was acquitted of all larceny and tax charges, and he forged a negotiated plea disposition in a multimillion-dollar larceny case whereby the president of the company was able to avoid incarceration.

Since leaving government service, Karl has testified before the New York State Legislature on the topic of ethics reform, and at the request of the New York State Bar Association president, chaired the Due Process and Investigations subcommittee for the association’s 2011 Task Force on Government Ethics. The subcommittee’s recommendations have been credited with influencing important aspects of the groundbreaking Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011. Karl has also served as Special Counsel to the New York State Legislative Ethics Commission and is a frequent commentator on issues involving ethics and government in the media.

Karl served as the Executive Director of the New York State Ethics Commission from March 2001 through March 2007. During his tenure, he was responsible for conducting investigations of high-ranking government officials and private sector entities that interact with government officials. He also provided advice and interpretation of the state's ethics and integrity laws to statewide elected officials, including the governor and attorney general, as well as private sector business leaders that interacted with the government. His term at the Commission was marked by fair and effective enforcement of the ethical principles that apply to state employees and strong, effective support for legislation to improve the ethics laws.

Karl previously served in the Office of the Attorney General and was primarily responsible for prosecuting complex narcotics organizations, government corruption and homicide cases. He was the only attorney in the office assigned to both the Organized Crime Task Force and the Capital Assistance to Prosecutors unit.

Karl also served as Deputy Inspector General with the Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG), where he was responsible for overseeing investigations into corruption, fraud and criminal activity. In 1997, Karl received the Attorney General’s Louis J. Lefkowitz award in recognition of exceptional effort for his prosecution of a narcotics cartel operating throughout the eastern United States and Latin America. In 1999, he received an award from the New York State Police in recognition of exceptional public service in a high-profile homicide prosecution. From 1992 to 1995, he was the Chief Assistant District Attorney in Cayuga County. From 1991 to 1992, Karl was an Assistant District Attorney in Fulton County.

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