Samuel J. Himmelstein

Practice areas

Real Estate: Consumer, Real Estate: Business

Focus areas

Condominiums & Cooperatives, Landlord/Tenant

Samuel J. Himmelstein is a partner at Himmelstein McConnell Gribben et al., a law firm specializing in Landlord/Tenant and Real Estate matters located in Manhattan.

Mr. Himmelstein’s practice primarily revolves around tenant litigation, representing both residential and commercial clients, as well as providing legal counsel to tenant groups, co-op members, and condominium owners. He also offers representation to tenant associations and handles co-op conversions. His legal experience encompasses a wide range of legal arenas, including Housing Court, Supreme Court, New York Appellate Courts, and administrative agencies such as the Division of Housing and Community Renewal and the Department of Housing, Preservation, and Development. Additionally, his firm manages various real estate transactions for both residential and commercial properties.

Renowned as an industry leader, Mr. Himmelstein has authored several manuals on landlord-tenant issues and acted as a legal advisor for numerous pamphlets related to subletting, apartment sharing, and other related topics. He frequently contributes to BrickUnderground and is often quoted in articles featured in The New York Times and The Real Deal. Furthermore, Mr. Himmelstein is a seasoned lecturer, conducting numerous seminars and continuing legal education programs throughout New York. He has also appeared on various television and radio news programs and contributed to several print publications, offering comprehensive legal insights on tenant rights and co-op conversions.

Mr. Himmelstein graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1976 and earned his Juris Doctor, also cum laude, from New York Law School in 1979. He was admitted to the New York State Bar Association the following year and is authorized to practice in U.S. Federal Court. Early in his career, he served with both East Brooklyn Legal Services and South Brooklyn Legal Services. In 2009, he was appointed as the tenant representative of the Housing Advisory Council.

Among his notable clients, Mr. Himmelstein has provided legal counsel to organizations such as the Metropolitan Council on Housing, the New York State Tenant and Neighborhood Coalition, The Chelsea Hotel Tenant Association, and numerous other Tenant Associations across the City. He has also advocated passionately for the rights and interests of individual tenant clients and tenant groups. Actively engaged in the legal community, he holds memberships in the National Lawyers Guild, The New York City Bar Association, and the New York County Trial Lawyers Association, among other professional affiliations.