Michael A. Cardozo

Michael A. Cardozo (June 28, 1941 – July 23, 2025) was an American lawyer. From 2002 through the end of 2013, he was the Corporation Counsel for the Government of New York City, appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Cardozo was a partner at the law firm Proskauer Rose, and a former president of the New York City Bar Association.

Early life and education Michael A. Cardozo was born on June 28, 1941, in New York City to homemaker Lucile and real estate broker Harmon Cardozo. He grew up on the Upper West Side of New York City, before moving to Westport, Connecticut while in grade school. He clerked for Judge Edward Cochrane McLean from 1966 to 1967.

In 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed him the City's 77th Corporation Counsel, the City's chief legal officer. He held that role for 12 years, for the full three-term tenure of the Mayor, the longest anyone has served in that capacity since the Office was created in the mid-19th century. In 2009, 18 of 20 judges from the First Judicial Department of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court signed a letter rebuking Cardozo for his "imperious" criticisms of the court's culture, which he had said was introducing delays.

From 1996 to 1998, Cardozo was president of the New York City Bar Association. That year, he returned to Proskauer. Cardozo retired from Proskauer at the end of October 2022. In September 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Cardozo to the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. He was re-appointed in 2024. He was a member of the advisory board of the legal education non-profit Legal Outreach. He also served as Chair of the Columbia Law School Board of Visitors,

Awards American Friends of the Hebrew University's George A. Katz Torch of Learning Award, 2000 Columbia Law School Lawrence Wien Prize for Social Responsibility, 2007 Fund for Modern Courts Cyrus R. Vance Tribute, 2009 Federal Bar Council Emory Buckner Award for Outstanding Public Service, 2011 New York Law Journal's Impact Award, 2013 Citizens Union Public Service Award, 2014 Fund for Modern Courts Career Public Service Award, 2014 American Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award, 2015 New York Urban League Frederick Douglas Medallion for Leadership and Service, 2016 Anti-Defamation League Human Relations Award, 2017