Adams’ choice of Frank Carone as chief of staff highlights continuing ties to Brooklyn

December 30, 2021 Raanan Geberer

Frank Carone. Eagle file photo by Caroline Ourso

Share this:

Although Mayor Eric Adams now has a citywide, rather than a boroughwide, office, he still retains very close ties to Brooklyn, and nothing signifies this more than his choice of prominent Brooklyn lawyer Frank Carone as his chief of staff.

Not only is Carone a named partner at the firm Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone (popularly known as Abrams Fensterman), one of the most prominent Brooklyn law firms, he’s also been active in the Brooklyn Bar Association and the Columbian Laywers of Brooklyn and has been counsel to the chairman of the Kings County Democratic Party.

In 2017, when Carone became a named partner in Abrams Fensterman, managing partner Howard Fensterman said, “He embodies the heart and soul of our motto, `We are Brooklyn Law,’” the Eagle reported at the time.

In preparation for joining the Adams administration, Carone resigned from the Kings County Democratic Committee, and Abrams Fensterman is buying out his share of the firm, according to The New York Times.

Carone, who is a close friend of the former borough president, told the Times that he believed in Adams, whom he characterized as one of the most “selfless” people in politics. He also said he has known Adams since 2004, when Adams was retiring from the NYPD and was preparing to run for the State Senate.

Earlier this year, he was named to City and State Magazine’s Law Power List for 2021. The magazine, described him as “one of Brooklyn’s most effective business litigators, known for insightful legal prowess, business acumen and leadership skills.”

Carone served as president of the Brooklyn Bar Association in 2019-20, ending his term several months after the COVID-19 pandemic had hit.

When he was installed as president in 2019, he told the assembled group, “We’re going to focus on service. Service to our members, service to the judiciary, service to the community. We want to be a real place of service. We’re going to lead by serving,” the Eagle reported at the time.

Also in 2019, the Brooklyn Law School Italian American Student Association honored Carone at its annual alumni dinner. Then-president Michael Milius said of Carone, “Your accomplishments as a lawyer and member of the Brooklyn community speak volumes about who you are as a person. The members of IALSA hope that by honoring you tonight and spreading your story, it inspires everyone here to try to be better in the same way you inspired us.”

The Times, in its recent article, reported that Mayor Adams and Carone have exchanged books for many years. Already, Carone has discussed two books with mayoral staff members Daniel Coyle’s “The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups,” and “The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency,” by Chris Whipple.