Michelle Maratto Itkowitz is the owner and founder of Itkowitz PLLC and has been practicing landlord and tenant litigation (both complex-residential and commercial) in the City of New York for twenty-five years. Michelle represents BOTH tenants and landlords and her core competencies include: Commercial Landlord and Tenant Representation (including Pandemic-defenses to the payment of rent); Rent Stabilization and DHCR Matters; Rent Stabilization and Regulatory Due Diligence for Multifamily Properties; Rent Stabilization Coverage Analysis for Tenants; Sublet, Assignment, and Short-Term Leasing Cases (like Airbnb!); Good Guy Guaranty Litigation; Co-op Landlord and Tenant Matters; Loft Law Matters; De-Leasing Buildings for Major Construction Projects; Emotional Support Animals in No-Pets Buildings; and Co-Living.

Michelle publishes and speaks frequently on landlord and tenant law. The groups that Michelle has written for and/or presented to include: Lawline.com; Lorman Education Services; Rossedale CLE; The New York State Bar Association, Real Property Section; Women Attorneys in Real Estate; The New York Women’s Bar Association; The National Law Institute; The Long Island Chapter of the National Appraisal Institute; The Columbia Society of Real Estate Appraisers; The NYS Society of Certified Public Accountants LandlordsNY; The Association of the Bar of the City of New York; Thompson Reuter;, The Cooperator; and Argo U.

Michelle regularly creates and shares original and useful content on landlord and tenant law, including via booklets, blogs, videos, and live presentations. Michelle developed and regularly updates a multi-part continuing legal education curriculum for Lawline.com entitled "New York Landlord and Tenant Litigation". Tens of thousands of lawyers have purchased Michelle’s CLE classes on Lawline.com (a labor of love for which Michelle gets not a dime) and the programs have met with the highest reviews. Michelle co-authors a chapter on lease remedy clauses and guaranties for the New York State Bar Association, Real Property Section, Commercial Leasing Committee’s treatise. Michelle co-authored the upcoming 2021 version of the New York State Bar Association’s treatise “New York Residential Landlord-Tenant Law and Procedure”. As the “Legal Expert” for LandlordsNY.com, the first social platform exclusively for landlords and property managers, Michelle answers member's questions, guest blogs, and teaches. Michelle is also an instructor and blogger on the Tenant Learning Platform, www.tenantlearningplatform.com. 

Michelle is immensely proud that Itkowitz PLLC was awarded its NYS Women Business Enterprise Certification by the Empire State Development Corp. Michelle’s eponymous law firm is one of the largest women-owned law firms, by revenue, in the State.

Michelle is admitted to practice in New York State and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1989 from Union College and a Juris Doctor in 1992 from Brooklyn Law School. She began her legal career at Cullen & Dykman in the Real Estate Department.