STATEMENT FROM PATERSON MAYOR ANDRE SAYEGH ON CORPORATION COUNSEL

“Today, I announce the resignation of Corporation Counsel Farrah Irving. I am grateful to have had Farrah join my administration and serve as our Corporation Counsel; she brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise in dealing with municipal government.

In her time with my administration, Farrah did a tremendous job. Her calm confidence commanded the position of Law Director. Farrah brought immense value in preparing the City for contract negotiations, manage personnel matters, and aggressively represented the City of Paterson in court and arbitrations. Farrah has been an instrumental member of my core team of advisors. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors and thank her for the time she has given to the City.

Next week I will welcome Aymen Aboushi as the new Corporation Counsel for the City of Paterson. Aymen specializes in commercial and employment law and, during his career, has successfully handled various employment cases. Interestingly, Aymen successfully represented Paterson residents in Civil Rights litigation relative to alleged misconduct by police officers.  Aymen’s experience includes Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice.  As a DOJ Trial Attorney, he represented the United States in cases across the U.S. Following law school, Aymen clerked for the Honorable Patty Shwartz for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. A graduate of Fordham Law School, Aymen is a partner at The Aboushi Law Firm.

Aymen, a hardworking and compassionate person, currently holds a position as a board member of Wafa House, a nonprofit that provides services to domestic violence victims. He also focuses on pro-bono work and volunteers to assist the formerly incarcerated transition back into society through the New Jersey re-entry program and mentoring incarcerated youth offenders.  As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation, Aymen, who holds an EMT certification, put himself in the frontlines, putting the needs of others first; he worked during the height of the pandemic as an EMT in Passaic County. Aymen comes prepared to handle the challenges in Paterson, and I am optimistic that he has the skills and qualifications necessary to get the job done.”

Aboushi will begin as Corporation Counsel for the Law Department on March 15.