Cy Vance, a graduate of Yale University and Georgetown University Law School, is a former prosecutor and veteran trial lawyer who has served for over a quarter century in the courts, in his communities and in government.

Born and raised in Manhattan in a family dedicated to public service, Cy returned to New York City after law school to become a prosecutor under Robert Morgenthau during the high-crime era of the 1980’s. In the Manhattan D.A.’s Office, he handled cases involving murder, organized crime, career criminals, political corruption, and white-collar crime. In the court house, he acquired a reputation for integrity, toughness and fairness.

In the late 1980’s, in a move that has given Cy a broader perspective on criminal justice, Cy moved with his family to Seattle, Washington, and co-founded the national law firm McNaul Ebel Nawrot Helgren & Vance, PLLC, which under his joint leadership became one of the pre-eminent litigation firms in the Northwest. Besides trying high-visibility civil and criminal cases, Cy taught at Seattle University School of Law, represented the State of Washington in investigations and litigation as a Special Assistant Attorney General, and was a consulting expert to the Office of Family and Children Ombudsman in its investigation into miscarriages of justice in the notorious Wenatchee sex-abuse cases. The Governor of Washington State appointed Cy to the State Sentencing Guidelines Commission to advise the Governor and the legislature on state sentencing law and policy.

Having built a successful law practice in Seattle, Cy and his wife of 25 years, Peggy McDonnell, a printer and photographer, returned home to New York City in 2004 with their 2 children, both of whom attended high school in New York City.

Cy is now a principal at Morvillo, Abramowitz, Grand, Isaon, Anello & Bohrer, P.C., one of the nation’s leading litigation firms. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, listed in The Best Lawyers in America and in New York’s Superlawyers, Cy continues his active trial practice in complex civil and criminal cases while working to reform the criminal justice system and improve the well-being of the city’s diverse residents. Cy served by appointment of the Governor of New York as a member of the New York State Appellate Division, First Department, Judicial Screening Panel, and a member of the New York State Commission on Sentencing Reform. Cy is also a member of the Criminal Justice Council of the New York City Bar Association, the Federal Bar Council, and the New York Council of Defense Lawyers. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fund for Modern Courts, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.

As District Attorney Cy Vance plans to preserve the legacy of excellence, integrity, and fairness that has defined and distinguished the DA’s Office throughout the Morgenthau era, while providing the vision and expertise to adapt to new challenges. Beyond making our City even safer by further reducing traditional street crime, Vance’s priorities for the DA’s office include fighting economic crime, providing better protection for our communities through community-based justice, fighting identity theft crimes, reducing recidivism, and overall reform of the Criminal Courts, which handle our City’s misdemeanor cases.

For more information about Cy’s plans for the District Attorney’s Office please visit out website at www.cyvanceforda.com.

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