N.Y. Public Library Legal Boss Aims for ‘Judicious’ Spending

Running the legal department for a large public-private partnership has required New York Public Library General Counsel Michele Coleman Mayes to carefully consider spend when she taps outside help for matters that range from digitizing books to managing a complex real estate portfolio.

“You need to be judicious and smart about how you spend your hard-earned money. Somebody once asked, ‘How many hamburgers does McDonald’s have to sell to hire a lawyer?’ That kind of puts it in perspective,” said Mayes in an interview.

Bloomberg Law is conducting a Q&A series highlighting some of the legal industry’s most important relationships: ...