Melissa Franco
General Counsel

In May 2024, Melissa Franco was appointed to serve as General Counsel for the New York State Division of Human Rights.  In this capacity, Ms. Franco advises the Commissioner on all legal matters affecting the Division.  She supervises the Legal Bureau, including the Adjudication and Policy Unit, the Litigation and Appeals Unit, and the Legal Records Management Unit. She also serves as the Division's Ethics Officer.
 
Ms. Franco joined the Division as Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement in 2011. In that capacity, she was responsible for identifying potentially high impact cases and designing investigative plans to carry out Division Initiated complaints. Ms. Franco also oversaw the agency’s prosecuting attorneys. Prior to joining the Division, Ms. Franco worked in the King’s County District Attorney’s office where she served in various capacities including First Deputy Bureau Chief of a Trial Division, Deputy Bureau Chief of the Grand Jury Bureau, and a Senior Trial Attorney.
 
Ms. Franco holds a JD from Fordham University and BA in Psychology from the University of South Florida.

Erin Sobkowski  
Deputy General Counsel

Erin Sobkowski has served as the Division’s Deputy General Counsel since May 2024. In this capacity, she is responsible for drafting proposed legislation and supporting memoranda, rule-making and other regulatory functions, as well as drafting guidance, policies and legal opinions for use by the agency. Ms. Sobkowski joined the Division in 2008 as a Senior Attorney in the Prosecutions Unit. In 2010, she joined the Division’s Office of General Counsel. Prior to joining the Division, Ms. Sobkowski represented labor organizations in private practice. She holds a JD from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a BA from the same institution.

Abbey Marr
Associate Counsel

Abbey Marr is an Associate Counsel serving in the Division’s Office of General Counsel, where she works to support the Division’ operations and enforcement of the Human Rights Law. Abbey has previously served New York State as the Deputy Executive Director for Prevention & Programming at the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence; Assistant Director of the SUNY Student Conduct Institute; and in the Governor’s Counsel’s Office, where her portfolio included reproductive health, gender equity, and civil rights issues. Abbey holds a JD from Harvard Law School, and a BA from George Washington University.