Karl J. Sleight

=Legal Practice=

Harris Beach

Karl J. Sleight is a member of the Harris Beach Law Firm PLLC and co-leader of the Government Compliance and Investigations Team. He practices in the Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group.Mr. Sleight advises clients on matters related to corporate compliance and government investigations, and federal and state regulatory actions. His practice includes representing individuals, businesses and institutions in white collar criminal defense matters. Mr. Sleight has represented numerous ‘’Fortune 500’’ companies involved in government inquiries and serves as special counsel for a major national sports league.

Prior to Joining Harris Beach

Prior to joining Harris Beach, Mr. Sleight served as Executive Director of the New York State Ethics Commission, a position he was appointed to in March 2001. He was responsible for conducting investigations of high ranking government and private sector officials, as well as those public sector employees who interact with government officials, involving the interpretation of the state’s ethics and integrity laws. He was also involved in enforcing compliance with the state’s procurement processes. His tenure at the commission had been marked by fair and effective enforcement of the ethical principles that apply to state employees, and strong support for legislation to improve the ethics laws. Mr. Sleight previously served as Deputy Inspector General with the Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG), where he was responsible for overseeing investigations into corruption, fraud and criminal activity.

Prior to joining OSIG

Prior to joining OSIG, Mr. Sleight served in the Office of the Attorney General from 1995 to 1999 under former Attorneys General Dennis C. Vacco and Eliot Spitzer. As an Assistant Attorney General, Mr. Sleight was primarily responsible for prosecuting complex narcotics organizations, government corruption, and homicide cases. He was the only attorney in the office assigned to both the Organized Crime Task Force and the Capital Assistance to Prosecutors unit. In 1997, Mr. Sleight received the Attorney General’s Louis J. Lefkowitz award in recognition of exceptional service for his prosecution of a narcotics cartel operating throughout the eastern United States. In 1999, he received a special recognition award from the New York State Police in appreciation for his prosecution of a case of murder and attempted murder in Franklin County. From 1992 to 1995 he was the Chief Assistant District Attorney in Cayuga County. From 1991 to 1992, Mr. Sleight was an Assistant District Attorney in Fulton County.

=Education and Admissions to Practice=

Education

Admissions to Practice

*New York State Bar, 1990
*United States District Court
*#Northern District of New York, 1990
*United States Supreme Court, 2003

=PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:=Mr. Sleight is a member of the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws and previously served on the Steering and Publication Committees of the Council. He is a former member of the New York State District Attorneys Association. He is immediate past president and a member of the Executive Committee of the Saratoga County Bar Association. Mr. Sleight was appointed by former Governor George Pataki as a commissioner of the Saratoga-Capital District State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Saratoga Central Catholic School, actively engaged in youth sports programs in his community, and managing partner of a thoroughbred horse racing stable. He has made numerous presentations and published articles on topics related to ethics in government. Mr. Sleight has conducted Continuing Legal Education programs in conjunction with the New York State Bar Association and the Government Law Center of Albany Law School, and has created and presented specifically tailored programs for private, not-for-profit, and quasi-governmental agencies.