Eric Schneiderman’s swift resignation from the Attorney General’s Office, hours after a New Yorker article detailed allegations of physical assaults against four women, has stunned his former colleagues and friends. But many said the state’s top law enforcement office, while demoralized and shocked for now, would likely see no disruption over policy and cases in the short term.

In the long term, some attorneys close to the office envision a successor who will continue the same progressive agenda that Schneiderman embraced—as long as the person comes with a sterling reputation inside and outside the office.