Stubborn Defense and Powerful Language: The Leading Lawyer Representing New York’s Mayor

As the criminal case against Mayor Eric Adams heats up, the mayor’s top lawyer is fiercely defending him, both in his legal filings and in statements to the press.

The working relationship between Adams and his attorney, Alex Spiro, is not new. For months, Spiro has represented the mayor in a civil lawsuit filed by a former Transit Police officer who accused Adams of asking her to perform oral sex and masturbating in front of her when she refused. Adams has denied the allegations.

Court filings in the case offer a glimpse into the tone and legal strategy Spiro is likely to adopt in the coming weeks as he attempts to undermine federal prosecutors’ criminal case against the mayor. Email correspondence, motions and other documents filed in the civil docket depict a lawyer who fights fiercely for his client, questions the credibility of his accusers and oscillates between cordiality and hostility with opposing counsel.

“If you have any information or evidence that you would like me to consider regarding these allegations, I am always here to listen,” Spiro said in an email to the woman’s attorney in May. “But so far this has been what we consider to be a fictitious allegation and a disregard for applicable law.”

Neither Spiro nor a spokesperson for his law firm responded to multiple requests for comment before publication.

The Harvard Law School graduate is an associate at Quinn Emanuel, where he co-chairs investigations, government enforcement and white-collar defense, according to a biography posted on the law firm’s website. Before becoming a defense attorney, he worked in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Adams’ attorney has represented a slew of celebrities, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Brooklyn rappers Jay-Z and Bobby Shmurda, actor Alec Baldwin and former Knicks star Charles Oakley.

Today, Spiro represents Adams in a federal bribery and fraud indictment filed last week in the Southern District of New York. The U.S. attorney’s office accused the mayor of accepting international flights and luxury hotel stays worth more than $100,000 in exchange for political favors. Spiro has already asked a judge to dismiss the bribery charge, arguing in court documents that the allegations are “vague” and do not meet the legal definition of bribery.

Spiro’s frank but defiant tone matches that of the mayor, known for his “swagger” and vehement denial of wrongdoing. And his statements in and out of court appear to be aimed not just at prosecutors or the judge, but also at political leaders and members of the public who could shape Adams’ future as he tries both to refute his guilt and to run for office.

At a news conference Monday, Spiro said prosecutors were bringing a bogus case for “show” and called their strategy “amateur hour.”

“They are trying to manipulate you, deceive you and corrupt you,” he told reporters. “But I trust, as does the mayor, that New Yorkers will understand through this – that New Yorkers are too savvy to be fooled by these games.”

Sexual misconduct case

Last November, Lorna Beach-Mathura, a former transportation police officer, alerted the city and mayor of her intention to file a civil suit under the Adult Survivors Act, a state law that provided a deadline one year to pursue sexual assault charges outside of city statute. boundaries.

Beach-Mathura said that when she and Adams worked together in the police department’s transit office in 1993, she sought his advice after being passed over for a promotion. But instead of helping her career, Beach-Mathura said, Adams drove her to a vacant lot, begged her to perform oral sex on him, forced her hand on his penis and then masturbated in front of her.

Adams said he did not recall ever meeting Beach-Mathura and that her allegations “absolutely did not happen.”

Documents filed in the sexual misconduct lawsuit against Adams show how Spiro uses forceful and direct language to make his case, whether in a formal motion to a judge or in an email to the plaintiff’s attorney . He uses phrases like “Still, that’s not all” and “Even worse” to punctuate key points. Sometimes he even bolds words for emphasis.

Former colleague David Jaroslawicz said Spiro knew how to communicate in a way that resonated.

“He speaks to the common man,” Jaroslawicz said. “He doesn’t have to use fancy words that some jurors might not understand.” No legalese.

In emails to Beach-Mathura’s lawyer, Spiro is sometimes friendly and polite. He begins a message: “Nice to meet you. » But the tone quickly hardens.

“If you do not meet and discuss with my colleagues, we will conclude (based on a series of decisions you have made) that you do not intend to meaningfully meet the required discovery deadlines by law,” he wrote in an email in May. .

While some attorneys on docketed email chains sign their messages with “Thank you” or “Yours,” Spiro ends his emails: “We reserve all rights. Alex.

In numerous court filings, Spiro attempts to sow doubt about Beach-Mathura’s credibility. The attorney calls her a “serial litigator” who demonstrated a “pattern of delay and obfuscation.” He accuses him of missing an appointment to testify under oath, even though he writes in court documents that the defense team was “willing to go out of its way” to find a time and place that suited him . He contends Beach-Mathura fails to meet with Adams’ attorneys or provide evidence because she is lying.

“The allegations of wrongdoing in the complaint are entirely fictitious, and defendants look forward to their day in court and full vindication,” Spiro’s team wrote in a response to the lawsuit.

Beach-Mathura’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment, but in an affidavit, Beach-Mathura said she missed the appointment because she had a sinus infection and she was also eager to testify before the mayor. A judge ruled Tuesday that the case would be dismissed if Beach-Mathura did not appear for a rescheduled deposition until the end of the month.