In the dynamic legal realm of New York, Mark Peters emerges as a guiding force and co-founder of Peters Brovner LLP, adeptly steering through the complexities of regulatory advice and business disputes. With an unwavering commitment to justice, he passionately advocates for individuals seeking recompense from both private entities and government institutions. His relentless pursuit has led to significant triumphs, securing millions in settlements for survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of both public and private organizations, including the city itself.
Mr. Peters offers his insightful guidance to both institutional and individual clients, skillfully navigating the maze of investigations, regulatory hurdles and litigation. His strategic advice is highly sought by clients eager to manage intricate challenges affecting their reputational and financial interests across diverse sectors.
An academic achiever, Mr. Peters graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Brown University in 1987, followed by a J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1990. Admitted to the New York State Bar Association in 1991, his career path led him to co-found Peters Brovner LLP after a notable tenure as commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) from 2014 to 2018. In this role, he oversaw a robust law enforcement agency tasked with rooting out corruption, waste, fraud and abuse within city agencies and among private entities engaged with the city.
Upon his departure from the DOI, the New York Times Editorial Board lauded Mr. Peters’ transformative tenure, highlighting the city's considerable benefits from his service. His previous influential roles include serving as a partner at a global law firm and leading reform efforts at the New York Liquidation Bureau. His rich experience also encompasses key positions within the New York State Attorney General’s Office, where he directed the public integrity unit and served as deputy chief of the Civil Rights Bureau.
Earlier in Mr. Peters’ career, as a senior staff attorney at a social services organization in New York, he conducted in-depth investigations of foster care systems nationwide, sharpening his abilities in litigation and appeals for state agencies. Today, he continues to share his insights as an urban affairs expert for CBS Channel 2 News, contributing thought-provoking articles to prestigious publications such as the New York Law Journal, the New York Daily News and City & State.
Practice areas
State, Local & Municipal, Administrative Law, Government Contracts, Business Litigation
Focus areas
Non-Compete Agreements, Trade Secret
- 30% State, Local & Municipal
- 30% Administrative Law
- 30% Government Contracts
- 10% Business Litigation
First Admitted: 1991, New York
Professional Webpage: https://petersbrovner.com/about/mark-peters/
Bar / Professional Activity
- State of New York, 2020
- United States Court of Appeals and District Court (Second Circuit, S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y), 2020
- United States Supreme Court, 2020
Educational Background
- Brown University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1987
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- May 6, 2020 Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters co-authored an article for The New York Law Journal titled, “The Importance of Oversight of the CARES Act.” The article delves into why a massive spending program such as the CARES Act needs close oversight to protect it against fraud. Lesley and Mark served as First Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner at the New York City Department of Investigation during the rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy and spent over a decade prosecuting fraud in other government spending programs including 9/11 recovery, the WIC program and Social Security. Through their experience on these programs, they note that massive spending programs are invariably victimized by fraud., Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters Co-Author Article for the New York Law Journal on the Importance of Oversight of the CARES Act, New York Law Journal, 2020
- In this Law360 Expert Analysis article, which was excerpted from a longer Lexis Practice Advisor article, Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters guide employers on reporting criminal activities of their employees to law enforcement. This article also briefly discusses steps employers can take to minimize their risk of liability via compliance programs and reporting., Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters Co-Author Law360 Article on How Employers Should Handle the Reporting of the Criminal Activities of Their Employees to Law Enforcement, Law360, 2020
- In this Lexis practice note, Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters provide practical guidance regarding employers’ reporting criminal activities of their employees to law enforcement. The article delves into the following topics: Federal reporting requirements State general criminal reporting requirements Potential liability for failure to report and “willful blindness” Minimizing risk and liability through internal compliance programs and reporting Decreasing risk of claims brought by employees after employers report their alleged crimes Mark and Lesley have decades of experience in law enforcement, serving at the highest levels of government. Peters Brovner LLP is a boutique law firm focusing on internal investigations, white collar/regulatory defense and litigation., Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters Co-Author Lexis Practice Note Article on Employers Reporting Criminal Activities of Their Employees to Law Enforcement, LexisNexis, 2020
- June 23, 2020 In this New York Law Journal article, Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters explore how counsel can best respond to subpoenas and other information requests from local and state entities in anticipation of COVID-19-related fraud and other investigations. Lesley and Mark provide useful insights about how the expected uptick in fraud claims will play out and how best to respond based on their time at the New York State attorney general’s office, as well as their years running New York City’s Investigation Department., Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters Co-Author New York Law Journal Article on What to Do When You Get a Subpoena, New York Law Journal, 2020
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Chair of the Board, NYCOFI, New York anti-poverty non-profit
- Commissioner, New York State Public Integrity Commission, Appointed by Governor to State enforcement authority
Firm News (Newsletters)
- The letter was written in reaction to Michael Winerip’s piece about Operation Net Nanny, an online sting operation to catch child predators that snared hundreds of men and appeared in the New York Times Magazine on Sept. 13, 2020., Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters pen letter to the editor criticizing NYT Magazine coverage of child abuse law enforcement
- Article by Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters February 21, 2020 Over the past three years, the country has witnessed an erosion of democratic norms in Washington, the president’s recent refusal to allow witnesses to testify at his impeachment trial being just one prominent example. Unfortunately, we may be seeing this disturbing trend play out in local government here in New York as well. Earlier this month, the de Blasio administration came out in opposition to a proposed law that would require New York City officials who testified before the City Council to correct the record if they subsequently discover that their testimony was inaccurate. The bill was designed to close a loophole that exists because, while the law clearly prohibits making knowingly false statements during testimony, it does not create an obligation to correct false statements that might have been made unknowingly., De Blasio vs. Honest Government: Why is the Mayor at war With a City Council Effort to Ensure Truthful Testimony?
- Feb 24, 2020 Lawsuit Challenges De Blasio Administration’s Proposal to Curb Hotel Development in New York City Administration Acted in “Bad Faith” by Attempting to Hide the Economic Impact of the Proposal by Restricting Public Analysis to Only One Area of the City Despite Plans to Apply Proposal Citywide Plaintiff Seeks Full Public Accounting of the Impact of the Administration’s Citywide Plan to Require Special Permits for All Future Hotel Construction Late last year the De Blasio administration green-lighted a proposal to require that new hotels in the Union Square district obtain “special permits” prior to construction. This is the latest step in what the Mayor, during a rally at the Hotel Trades Council, admitted was a plan to require such special permits for all new hotels to be built anywhere in New York City. The special permit process is so onerous – requiring ULURP review and City Council approval – that it will essentially preclude any new hotel construction., Peters Brovner Sues City to Require Planning Transparency
- Mark Peters November 6, 2019 Mark Peters explains the implications of NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill stepping down, and the challenges his replacement – Dermot Shea – will face., What Challenges Will New Police Commissioner Face?
- Article by Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters December 12, 2019 Last week the City of Newark sued New York City over New York’s placement of more than a thousand homeless individuals and families in Newark, through the city’s Special One Time Assistance (SOTA) program. Under the program, New York City employed private brokers to find homes for the families in New Jersey and elsewhere, and, without checking to see if the homes were habitable, paid a full year’s rent in advance and left families to live there. The result was thousands of families sent out of the city into homes that were uninhabitable., Two Troubling Trends Collide in City Homeless Outsourcing
- Mark Peters August 19, 2019 In this CBS New York segment, Mark Peters discusses the possible implications of Officer Daniel Pantaleo’s firing., What Does Pantaleo’s Firing Mean For The NYPD?
- By Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters October 21, 2019 In response to the murders of four people in Chinatown and the subsequent violent attack on a 6-year-old boy in Queens, both allegedly by mentally ill homeless men, Mayor de Blasio announced a 30-day review of how the city uses intensive mental health interventions to make sure potentially violent people struggling with serious psychological problems receive the treatment they need. If the mayor is serious about meaningful reform here are some of the fundamental issues the review must consider., How to fix this insane mess: Where de Blasio should look in his 30-day review of how the city handles serious mental illness Gallery How to fix this insane mess: Where de Blasio should look in his 30-day review of how the city handles serious mental ill
- By Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters August 21, 2019 In late July, it was revealed that the Federal Aviation Administration had functionally outsourced safety checks on the doomed 737 Max to the airplane’s manufacturer, Boeing. The FAA relied on Boeing to conduct safety analyses on the new planes and failed to rigorously oversee the process. Moreover, the FAA never fully understood the intricacies of the safety issues involved. The tragic results, two crashes and a grounded fleet, have been well documented. Also last month, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli issued a report that found the “MTA’s homeless outreach program didn’t do much outreach.” While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority spent millions to have a nonprofit provide services to homeless people who live at Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, the nonprofit workers did an average of only 2.2 hours of outreach per shift, spent most of their time in an office, which they often kept closed, and filed false and incomplete daily reports. The comptroller’s office found that the MTA did little to oversee the program, resulting in failures that posed dangers to both homeless people and commuters., Private contractors require better government oversight Gallery Private contractors require better government oversight press Private contractors require better government oversight
- Gotham Gazette By Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters July 29, 2019 Last week the federal NYCHA monitor issued his first quarterly report. It was a scathing indictment of the agency, describing “putrid liquid” spilling into a laundry room and rats scurrying through a 14-floor high garbage compactor. As one resident explained, “we are hostages in our own homes at night…due to rats that are the size of cats.” But as disturbing as these examples are, the most important finding was less graphic but ultimately more dangerous: A systemic culture of failing to take responsibility. NYCHA, the monitor found, was simply unable to proactively recognize and tackle problems, and in many instances showed little interest in even making the attempt., The Root NYCHA Problem: A Culture of Disengagement & Dysfunction
- CBS New York Mark Peters August 12,2019 In this CBS New York clip, Mark Peters discusses what authorities will be looking for in the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide, Justice Department Investigating Death Of Jeffrey Epstein In Jail
- New York Daily News Article by Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters July 19, 2019 Last month, a New Jersey appeals court overturned an egregiously bad decision by a family court judge who had refused to try a 16-year old rapist as an adult because he came from a “good family” and attended an “excellent school.” The judge further downplayed the rape because the victim knew her attacker and it did not occur “at gunpoint.” The judge went on to inexplicably observe that he felt it important to “distinguish between a sexual assault and a rape.”, The NYPD’s broken promise on rape: The Special Victims Division is understaffed, lacks resources and has shuttered its cold-case unit
Office location for Mark Peters
139 Fulton Street
Suite 132
New York, NY 10038
Phone: 917-933-5213
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2021 - 2025 
