Bennett Liebman, JD

Bennett Liebman is a Government Lawyer in Residence at Albany Law School and an adjunct professor of law.

He worked for Mario Cuomo while Cuomo was Secretary of State e,and served as his Counsel when he was Lieutenant Governor, and when Cuomo was elected governor in 1982, Bennett became hisa Special Deputy Counsel handling ethics matters, Freedom of Information Law questions, and many other issues. Beginning in 1988, he served as a member of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board for more than a decade, including a term as its Acting Co-Chair. He concluded his government service in 2014 after three years as Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Gaming and Racing. At Albany Law School from 2001-2011,, he worked at the Government Law Center as the Coordinator of its Program on Racing and Wagering Law and as the Center’s executive director.

In 2016, he came out of retirement to serve as the interim director of the Center. He has written hundreds of articles on horse racing, gambling, and the New York State government. From 2008-2011, he was a regular blogger for the New York Times Rail Blog authoring over 100 articles. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Union College and a cum laude graduate of New York University School of Law.

In 1997, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Arizona Race  Track Industry Program and was the recipient of the Excellence in Public Service Award in 2010 from the New York State Bar Association.