Michael T. Manzi is a Partner in the Real Estate Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
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.
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)
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.
