CORPORATION COUNSEL MURIEL GOODE-TRUFANT APPOINTS SHANEL SPENCE AS THE LAW DEPARTMENT’S NEW EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICER

April 16, 2025

New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant today announced the appointment of Shanel Spence as the Law Department’s new Equal Opportunity Officer, the individual responsible for ensuring the agency complies with City, State, and Federal employment discrimination laws and policies, and investigating allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.  

Shanel Spence

Corporation Counsel Goode-Trufant said, “Shanel embodies everything that is excellent about the Law Department, especially the values that promote inclusivity and a workplace offering equal opportunity for all. I also want to thank Karlyne Fequiere who served as EEO Officer and is now Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel.”

Shanel joined the Law Department in 2008 as an Assistant Corporation Counsel and spent several years litigating tort cases in the Brooklyn Borough and Special Litigation Units of the Tort Division. In 2015, Shanel was promoted to Deputy Unit Chief of the Special State Law Enforcement Defense Unit, where she supervised multiple litigation teams for all five boroughs. In 2017, Shanel transferred to the Executive Division, where she has served in various roles, including Senior Counsel for Government Policy, focusing on policy issues impacting the Law Department and Senior Counsel for Professional Development, assisting with agency training initiatives, continuing legal education programs, and workforce development goals. Most recently, Shanel served as Deputy Diversity & EEO Officer.

Shanel was the recipient of two coveted awards: the Law Department’s Jane M. Bolin Diversity Leadership Award and New York City Bar’s Municipal Affairs Award. She is a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and Binghamton University. 

"I am extremely honored to be given the opportunity to serve in such an important role at the Law Department," said Law Department EEO Officer Shanel Spence. "Ensuring a fair and inclusive workplace will be my top priority."

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