Michael S. Bennett is Of Counsel at KMWB, where he serves as litigation and regulatory counsel to developers and property owners navigating New York City’s complex real estate landscape. He is valued for his strategic guidance designed to protect owners’ positions in a highly regulated environment and the litigation-oriented skillset that he deploys to execute those strategies. His practice focuses on commercial lease disputes, residential rent regulation, Article 78 proceedings challenging agency determinations, Loft Law, and cooperative and condominium matters. He litigates complex matters through the pre-trial phase in the New York State Supreme Court, and the Commercial and Residential Landlord-Tenant Parts in Civil Court, and then serves as first chair trial counsel.  Michael regularly writes complex appellate briefs and argues them before Appellate Division panels. 

Michael’s background spans high-stakes litigation across both public and private sectors. He began his career at the New York City Law Department, where he represented the City of New York, the NYPD, and uniformed police officers against allegations of police misconduct including false arrest and excessive force. Michael then became defense counsel for premier New York City hospitals and medical professionals in medical malpractice actions, developers and contractors in high-exposure construction accident cases, and a national telecommunications provider in complex commercial landlord-tenant disputes. This experience shapes his approach to his current real estate practice with a focus on identifying and controlling risk, creating leverage, and moving decisively.