 Gillibrand has said her work at private law firms allowed her to take on "pro bono" cases defending abused women and their children and tenants seeking safe housing after lead paint and unsafe conditions were found in their homes.Following her time at Davis Polk, Gillibrand served as Special Counsel to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Andrew Cuomo during the last year of the Clinton administration.Gillibrand worked on HUD's Labor Initiative and its New Markets Initiative, as well as on TAP's Young Leaders of the American Democracy, and strengthening Davis–Bacon Act enforcement.