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Jeff Jamieson defends outside practice, outlines transition as Albany County attorney nominee
Summary
Jeff Jamieson, nominated to be Albany County attorney, told the Legislature he will run conflict checks before taking outside clients, does not plan to maintain an active private practice, and expects a transitional handoff with current staff if confirmed; the Legislature deferred a final floor vote.
Cameron Sayan, director of policy for Albany County, introduced the Legislature to the nomination of Jeff Jamieson for the county attorney post and asked members to consider his confirmation.
Jamieson, who said he has served Albany County for about 11 years in roles including director of employee relations and most recently as chief counsel to the county executive, told the Legislature he did not expect to be appearing remotely but appreciated the opportunity to speak in support of his nomination. "As I've continued to serve Albany County over the last 11 years, I will continue to do that, hopefully, with all of your approval," Jamieson said.
The central issue raised by legislators was whether Jamieson would continue any private-law practice if confirmed. Jamieson said he has occasionally done a small number of real-estate closings in recent years but does not intend to take regular private clients as county attorney. "My expectation is not to take on any clients with the exception of, of course, a family member doing a closing," he said, and stressed he would perform conflict checks through the bar association before taking any outside work.
Lawmakers who spoke during the question period expressed confidence in Jamieson's qualifications while noting the potential for conflicts that can arise when an officeholder is a licensed attorney. "I agree with my colleagues there. They are highly qualified and be a great loss for us if there are rare occasions that comes up where you have to practice well on the outside," said Legislator Reeder.
Jamieson described a transition process rather than an immediate shift: he said he is working with First Assistant Kevin Cannizzaro, Jordan Huban and other attorneys now and plans individual meetings with staff so they "can have the confidence" in the office's direction. He said he does not yet know whether the county executive has selected a replacement for Jamieson's current chief-counsel role.
The Legislature did not hold a final confirmation vote during the remote session. Members agreed to move the item to the legislative floor for action at a later time, and no formal vote was recorded in the transcript. The motion to take the nomination to the floor was discussed while Jamieson’s video connection appeared to freeze; one member said, "We can just move move this stuff to the floor ... and then we're able to vote later on."
