- Home
- All Attorneys
- Michael T. Manzi
Michael T. Manzi
Partner / New YorkMichael T. Manzi is a Partner in the Real Estate Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
-
Full Bio
Mr. Manzi has practiced real estate law in New York for 28 years with a concentration on commercial leasing and the representation of cooperative and condominium boards, as well as sponsors. He also has extensive experience in a wide variety of real estate transactions including financing, sales and acquisitions.
In representing landlords and tenants, he guides the parties to a mutually acceptable and beneficial relationship memorialized in the final lease agreements that comport with the most recent developments in the law. In his representation of cooperative and condominium boards, he guides them through the many problems that they confront—from daily operations to special matters. He enjoys the unique challenge that these boards face: how to run a business that involves the daily lives of a wide variety of individuals. He’s not just a legal advisor but a counselor and diplomat.
Mr. Manzi received his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the Institute of Film and Television at New York University, where he also taught writing courses and served in the administration of the Dramatic Writing Program. He then moved from academia to law and earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law where he served as Managing Editor of the Fordham International Law Journal. Upon graduation he joined the firm of Balber Pickard Maldonado & Van Der Tuin, PC where he practiced until joining Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
Ever since adopting a greyhound nine years ago, he has been active in the rescue of retired racing greyhounds, and his experience in keeping two dogs and three cats in a Manhattan apartment has made him the go-to person for pet issues in cooperatives and condominiums. When not practicing law or walking dogs, he indulges a variety of other interests, including an inexplicable love of baroque opera.
-
Representative Experience
- Advising over 75 cooperative and condominium boards on a wide variety of legal and commercial matters.
- Drafting and negotiating retail, including shopping center, leases.
- Negotiating over 50 office leases for a Fortune 500 company.
- Handling through closing the acquisition, disposition, financing, and ownership of commercial properties, including the structuring and re-structuring of the ownership entities, and the acquisition and disposition of properties of religious and other non-profit organizations.
- Counseling through closing borrowers of SBA mortgage loans.
- Representing individuals purchasing and selling luxury residential properties.
-
Bar Admissions
New York -
Education
Undergraduate- New York University
Grad School- New York University
Law School- Fordham University
-
Memberships
Served as Chair of Committee on Cooperative and Condominium Law of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York 2004-2007 and Committee Member since 2000.
Member of the Condominium and Cooperative Committee of the Real Property Section of the New York State Bar Association.
Member of The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGal).
Member of New York City, New York State and American Bar Associations.
Member of the New York Association of Realty Managers (NYARM)
-
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Presentations at numerous continuing legal education seminars on a variety of topics of cooperative and condominium law at the New York City Bar Association and New York State Bar Association.
“Current Governance Issues in Cooperatives & Condominiums,” presentation at CLE seminar, June 2017.
“Case Law Update: Cooperatives and Condominiums,” presentation at CLE seminar, “Hot Topics Affecting Cooperatives & Condominiums 2017,” March, 2017.
“Property Managers: Beware FLSA”, MR Management, January 2016.
Dow Chemical Company v. Castro Alfaro: The Demise of Forum Non Conveniens in Texas and One Less Barrier to International Tort Litigation, 14 Fordham Int’l L.J. 819, 823 (1990/1991), which has been cited in numerous decisions and law journals, including the Encyclopedia of International Aviation Law.
-
SGR Publications
- New Requirements for Review of Cooperative Apartment Purchase Applications
- Late Fees, Sublet Fees and Fines. Oh My!
- New York Legislature Considers Co-Op Rights
- Refresher for Board Members
- NYC Fair Chance for Housing Act
- Do Marijuana Smokers Have Special Rights in Your Co-op or Condo?
- It’s 6 P.M. – Do You Know Where Your Money Is?
- Bills Pending in the New York City Council to Enact Laws Regulating the Purchaser Approval Processes of Cooperatives
- Bills Pending in the New York City Council to Enact Laws Regulating the Purchaser Approval Processes of Cooperatives
- Desperately Seeking Certainty: Considerations for Office Landlords and Tenants
- Indemnity Rights of Condominium Board Members
- Paid Sick and Family CARE Leave – Employer Obligations Expanded and Refundable Tax Credits Granted
- Annual Meetings and COVID-19
- Employment Law Updates and Best Practices for Your Building
- To Be or Not To Be an Additional Insured?
- Local Law 11 – Update
- Buyer Beware: More Disclosure Requirements for LLCs
- About Noise Complaints
- Statutory Changes Affecting Cooperatives and Condominium Unit Owners
- Lawmakers Target Co-op Boards (Again)
- New 2018 Requirements for Cooperatives and Condominiums
- New 2018 Requirements for Condominiums and Cooperatives
- Collecting Arrears – When Owners Fail to Pay
- More on Second Hand Smoke
- Cooperative Transfers to Family Members
- Update on Short-Term Rentals
- Directors and Officers Insurance—Some Pitfalls
- Access to Adjoining Property During Construction
- Secondhand Smoke
- Occupants
- More on Mold
- Casualty Loss Deduction for Coop Owners
- Is the Board Liable When a Worker on an Apartment Alteration Project is Injured?
- Hurricane Sandy – Do you need a public adjuster?
- Board Member Liability after Fletcher v. The Dakota, Inc.
- Mold Revisited
- Streamlined Sale of Common Space to Shareholders
- Recent Legislation on Short-Term Leasing and Powers of Attorney
- Recent Legislation for Green Buildings
- New Powers of Attorney
- Authority to Impose Fines
- New Ruling on Exclusive Cable Contracts
- Security Deposits
- Unit Owner Monetary Defaults
- Insurance: Prompt Notice of Claims
- Authorization of Board Action
- Amendment to the 80/20 Rule
- Transfer on Death Designation
- Mold
- Interest on Unpaid Maintenance and Common Charges
- Board Elections and Shareholder Status
- Protecting Against Theft of Building Funds
- Liability of Condominium Managers and Unit Owners for Injuries to Third Parties
- Condominium Boards’ Right to Restrict Sales
- Revisions to NYS Tax Law on Gain Realized Upon Sale of Co-ops by Nonresidents
- Liability for Sidewalk Injuries
- “Objectionable” Shareholders
- Sponsor Obligation to Sell Unsold Shares
- Sponsor Obligation to Sell Unsold Shares
-
Press