International Affairs Team

Sarah Friedman is General Counsel for the Mayor's Office for International Affairs. As General Counsel, Sarah serves as a key legal advisor and handles international legal matters, including diplomatic incidents, affecting New York City. In this capacity, she works closely with City Hall, the United States Department of State, the United Nations and foreign governments on a range of complex legal matters and issues. Prior to serving as General Counsel, Sarah practiced corporate litigation and international law. She has practiced across multiple sectors before administrative, state, federal and international bodies and has deep experience in civil litigation and policy advocacy. Sarah worked on several cases before the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She also received a unanimous favorable decision from the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights based on an appeal she co-authored. In addition to her litigation and policy experience, Sarah served as Associate Professor of Law at the American University of Central Asia, where she taught courses in alternative dispute resolution, legal research on and legal writing, among others. Sarah holds a B.A. in International Relations and Public Relations from Syracuse University, where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She holds a JD from University of Miami School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude. Sarah lives in Manhattan with her husband and family.