Profile
Hank Greenberg is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer and past President of the New York State Bar Association, the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. A former Counsel to the New York State Attorney General, General Counsel to a major New York State agency and federal prosecutor, Hank has handled numerous high-profile matters over the course of his three-decade career. He concentrates his practice on civil litigation, criminal and civil investigations, and regulatory and administrative law.
As Counsel to New York’s Attorney General (2007 to 2010), Hank worked on some of the Department of Law’s most significant litigation and public policy initiatives. He also served as General Counsel for the New York State Department of Health (1995 to 2000), where he was the chief legal advisor to the Commissioner of Health and administered an office of more than 100 attorneys engaged in virtually all aspects of administrative law.
Amongst the other government posts he has held, Hank served as Counsel to the Lieutenant Governor of New York State (1995), an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York (1990 to 1995), and law clerk to then Associate Judge (later Chief Judge) Judith S. Kaye of the New York Court of Appeals (1988-1990). As an AUSA, he prosecuted numerous federal criminal cases, including white collar crime and public corruption.
Hank often ranks among New York’s leading lawyers in surveys for his work on high-profile litigation and other matters, including Best Lawyers in America, City & State, Super Lawyers Magazine, The American Lawyer, and The Legal 500 United States. He has received several awards, including the Making the World a More Just Place Award from the National Judicial College, and the Responsible 100 Award for Corporate Social Responsibility from City & State.
Hank holds leadership positions on several professional organizations and government bodies. Since 2020, he has served as chair of the Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York’s Courts. He is counsel to the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination, which nominates New York’s Court of Appeals Judges and chairs the Third Department Judicial Screening Committee. He is vice-chair of statewide programming for the Historical Society of New York Courts and serves on the Board of Directors of the New York County Lawyers Association. He is a member of the State Judicial Screening Committee, New York State Judicial Institute on Professionalism in the Law, and Advisory Group of the New York State and Federal Judicial Council. In 2020, he was elected to the American Law Institute. He is also a Life Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation and Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
Hank is a prolific author and public speaker. He has published over 50 articles, essays, and book chapters, on a wide range of legal subjects. He has delivered over 250 keynote addresses, talks, speeches, and lectures, and spoken at numerous law schools, including Colombia, Fordham, Harvard, and NYU. In 2019, he delivered the 55th Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Lecture at the New York County Lawyers Association. He also frequently appears as a legal commentator in online and print media and on TV and radio.
Concentrations
- Civil litigation
- Criminal and civil investigations
- Health care
- Regulatory and administrative law
- White collar criminal litigation
- Appellate practice
Capabilities
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America®, Health Care Law, 2015-2024
- Named, "Lawyer of the Year," Health Care Law, Albany, 2021
- Listed, City & State, Upstate Power 100, 2022-2023
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Upstate New York Super Lawyers, 2020-2023
- Listed,The American Lawyer, Northeast Trailblazer, 2021
- Listed, City & State, "New York Law Power 100," 2020
- Team Member, Best Lawyers in America®, "Top Listed – Government Relations," 2018
- Team Member, a U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Government Relations Law Firm of the Year," 2014
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States, 2013
- Recipient, Circle of Humanity Award, Temple Israel, 2012
- Selected, Samuel Booth Youth Leadership Award, United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, 2003
- Recipient, Resolution of Appreciation, New York State Public Health Council, 2000
- Selected, Inspector General’s Integrity Award, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 1995
- Received, Certificate of Appreciation, U.S. Secret Service, 1995
- Rated, AV Preeminent® 5.0 out of 5.0
- Chair, Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York’s Courts, 2020-Present
- Counsel, New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination, 2013-Present
- Chair, Third Department Judicial Screening Committee, 2011-Present
- Member, New York State Judicial Screening Committee, 2011-Present
- Member, Judicial Task Force on the New York State Constitution, 2016-2017
- Member, New York Emergency Legal Task Force on Legal Assistance Related to Hurricane Harvey, 2017
- New York State Bar Association
- President, June 1, 2019-May 31, 2020
- Vice President, Third Judicial District, 2016-2018
- Chair, Committee on the New York State Constitution, 2015-2018
- Member, Executive Committee, 2016-2021
- Member, Executive Director Search Committee, 2016-2017
- Committee on Court Structure and Operations
- Chair, 2014-2015
- Vice-Chair, 2011-2014
- Member, House of Delegates, 2004-2008, 2014-Present
- Chair, Legislative Policy Committee, 2002-2006
- Chair, Special Committee on Student Loan Assistance for the Public Interest, 2001-2002
- Chair, Committee on Attorneys in Public Service, 2000-2001
- Member, Special Committee on Court Structure & Judicial Selection, 2004-2006
- Member, Special Committee on Funding for Civil Legal Services, 2004-2006
- Member, Committee on Diversity and Leadership Development, 2003-2006
- Member, Special Subcommittee on Attorneys in Public Service, Membership Committee, 1997-1998
- Young Lawyers Section
- Chair, Outstanding Young Lawyers Award Committee, 1991-1995
- Chair, Committee on Assistant District Attorneys, 1990-1994
- Liaison, Criminal Justice Section Executive Committee, 1993-1994
- New York County Lawyers Association
- Member, Board of Directors, 2023-Present
- Chair, State Fair Advisory Board, 2011-2018
- Member, New York State Commission on the Restoration of the Capitol, 2011-2018
- Member, Board of Overseers, Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, 2015-2018
- Member, New York Court of Appeals’ 2016 Law Day Planning Committee, 2016
- Founding Member, The Historical Society of the New York Courts
- Vice Chair of Statewide Programming, 2014-Present
- Vice President, 2011-2013
- Executive Committee, 2003-Present
- Editor-in-Chief, Judicial Notice, (formerly Historical Society Newsletter), 2003-2016
- Member, Advisory Group to the New York State and Federal Judicial Council
- Chair, Subcommittee on Removal of Civil Cases, 2013-2014
- Chair, Subcommittee on Increased Communication Between the State and Federal Courts, 2001-2003
- Member, New York State Judicial Institute on Professionalism in the Law, 2005-Present
- Chair, Albany County Charter Review Commission, 2013-2014
- Member, Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts, 2006-2007
- Member, Syracuse University College of Law Board of Visitors, 1988-2003
- Life Fellow, New York Bar Foundation
Credentials
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J.D., cum laude, Syracuse University College of Law
- Board Member, Moot Court
- Member, Justinian Honorary Law Society
- Member, Order of Barristers
- Recipient, Dean Paul Shipman Andrews Memorial Award
- Team Member, "Outstanding Contribution to Team Competition," Moot Court Team Award
- Two-Time Recipient, "Excellence in Advocacy," Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Medal, American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Bar Association
- Winner, "Best Trial Advocate - All Rounds, Region II," National Trial Competition
- Winner, "Best Oral Argument in Regional Final, Region II," National Appellate Competition
- President, Law Student Senate, 1985-1986
- Member, Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce, 1984-1986
- Notes and Comments Editor, 1985-1986
- Staff Editor, 1984-1985
- B.A., with honors, University of Chicago
- New York Court of Appeals, 1988-1990
- Staff Attorney, New York Court of Appeals, 1987-1988
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1987-1988
- New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York