Lippes Mathias LLP partner Karl J. Sleight has been named to City & State New York's 2026 Trailblazers in Law list. The annual recognition honors exceptional leaders in the legal field who are carrying out their mission, standing up for their profession and maintaining the rule of law in an era of uncertainty. 

Sleight is a member of the firm's government & corporate investigations practice team and serves as office leader of the firm's Saratoga Springs office.  

About Karl J. Sleight 

Karl J. Sleight provides strategic counsel to clients who operate in highly regulated environments that include active government oversight and scrutiny. He is regularly named to the City and State Law Power 100, which lists the 100 most powerful people in New York State politics working in law. 

Sleight's experience spans across a broad spectrum of industry sectors including gaming, health care, energy and emerging industries such as cannabis. In addition to advising clients on governmental ethics and lobbying compliance matters, Sleight represents individuals, businesses and institutions in complex civil litigation and government administrative investigations against the State Attorney General. He regularly represents clients in high-profile matters containing public and political sensitivities, including numerous Fortune 100 companies as well as private citizens and political figures involved in government inquiries. Sleight is also an accomplished trial attorney. 

Sleight has served as counsel to casinos with mobile sports wagering interests on a variety of matters. In the first New York State casino site selection competition in 2014, he successfully navigated the process for his clients, which led to his client securing a commercial casino license. Notably, Sleight is a licensed horse owner, a member of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders and the managing partner of a racing stable that annually finishes in the top 10 percent by earnings of all licensed owners in North America, which uniquely positions him in his representation of entities in the thoroughbred racing arena. He is a frequent speaker at symposiums on cutting-edge topics in the field of gaming and racing, including the annual August industry conference in Saratoga Springs. Sleight has experience serving as special counsel for professional sports leagues, including Major League Baseball. 

Sleight regularly serves as counsel in high-profile government inquiries. He was engaged as counsel in both of Governor Andrew Cuomo's Moreland Commission investigations. An experienced trial lawyer, Sleight also represents selected individuals and businesses in white collar criminal defense matters. Since returning to private practice in 2007, he was lead counsel in the jury trial of a corporate executive who was acquitted of all larceny and tax charges, and he forged a negotiated plea disposition in a multimillion-dollar larceny case whereby the president of the company was able to avoid incarceration. 

Since leaving government service, Sleight has testified before the New York State Legislature on the topic of ethics reform, and at the request of the New York State Bar Association president, chaired the Due Process and Investigations subcommittee for the association's 2011 Task Force on Government Ethics. The subcommittee's recommendations have been credited with influencing important aspects of the groundbreaking Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011. Sleight has also served as special counsel to the New York State Legislative Ethics Commission and is a frequent commentator on issues involving ethics and government in the media. 

Sleight served as the executive director of the New York State Ethics Commission from March 2001 through March 2007. During his tenure, he was responsible for conducting investigations of high-ranking government officials and private sector entities that interact with government officials. He also provided advice and interpretation of the state's ethics and integrity laws to statewide elected officials, including the governor and attorney general, as well as private sector business leaders that interacted with the government. His term at the commission was marked by fair and effective enforcement of the ethical principles that apply to state employees and strong, effective support for legislation to improve the ethics laws. 

Sleight previously served in the Office of the Attorney General and 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. 

Sleight also served as deputy inspector general with the Office of the State Inspector General, where he was responsible for overseeing investigations into corruption, fraud and criminal activity. In 1997, Sleight received the Attorney General's Louis J. Lefkowitz award in recognition of exceptional effort for his prosecution of a narcotics cartel operating throughout the eastern United States and Latin America. In 1999, he received an award from the New York State Police in recognition of exceptional public service in a high-profile homicide prosecution. From 1992 to 1995, he was the chief assistant district attorney in Cayuga County. From 1991 to 1992, Sleight was an assistant district attorney in Fulton County. 

About Lippes Mathias LLP 

Lippes Mathias is a full-service law firm with 230 attorneys serving clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. With offices in Buffalo, Clarence, Albany, Long Island, New York, Rochester, Syracuse, and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Greater Toronto Area; Chicago, Ill.; Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Washington, D.C., the firm represents publicly and privately owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, family offices, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals. 

Ranked No. 204 on The National Law Journal’s NLJ 500 list of the largest law firms in the United States by attorney headcount, Lippes Mathias is proud to be recognized year after year by The Best Lawyers in America®, U.S. News – Best Lawyers®, Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA. For more information, visit www.lippes.com.