Paterson Hires Counsel, Senior Adviser

David Paterson is starting to fill his administration.

The governor has a new lawyer on staff, James Yates. Yates announced yesterday he’s stepping down from his job as State Supreme Court Justice in Manhattan. According to Alan Flacks, Yates was “counsel to the Democratic majority in the Assembly (1979 to 1989) and legislative counsel to the Speaker of the Assembly afterward (1989 to 1992), when he was appointed by Gov. Cuomo to the Court of Claims in 1992.”

This morning, the administration announced Jon R. Cohen will serve as a senior advisor. According to Paterson's office, Cohen is currently managing director of PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P., focusing on health advisory services.

UPDATE:A reader reminded me that Cohen ran for lieutenant governor.

Also, in only somewhat related news, Travis Proulx is leaving Liz Kreuger's staff and joining Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith's communication team. Proulx seems to be replacing Fernando Aquino, who emailed friends just now to say he’s taking a job as director of market development for the New York Mets  [added].