As a tenant attorney and advocate since 1976, Attorney Smollens has dedicated his career to protecting the rights of everyday New Yorkers from the abuses of powerful property owners.
Attorneys often have tremendous opportunities after receiving a law degree and passing the New York bar. Many of these paths are filled with financial success but do not necessarily serve the needs of regular people. He chose the path of a tenant attorney because he firmly believes that everyone deserves a decent place to live and should be treated with fundamental fairness. There are far more people renting living space in the Manhattan area than landlords and that allows him to advocate for people who are sometimes at a disadvantage.
We have all heard the stories about landlords allowing buildings to fall into disrepair and ignoring the calls for proper maintenance. Sub-par living standards are unacceptable to individual renters and families and Attorney Smollens’ practice helps put the full force of law behind tenants. Your apartment is your home and it should be a positive, clean and properly maintained place to hang your hat.
He discovered early in life that some landlords are more committed to making money than being compassionate community members. Driven by a better bottom line, they try to push people out of their place of residence and neighborhood in the interest of getting higher paying renters. He takes great exception to landlords not honoring the lease agreement they created and entered into. It is fundamentally unfair to try to displace people from their friends and neighbors.
As a New Yorker with eyes wide open, Attorney Smollens understand that discrimination still exists in our city. As a supporter of the Fair Housing Act, he finds it rewarding to protect people from being evicted or denied suitable living space based on race, gender, orientation or disability. In many ways, tenant law is ground zero in terms of civil rights.
If Attorney Smollens sounds passionate about tenant law and protecting of the rights of ordinary people, that’s because he is. He has made a commitment to be a boots on the ground tenant attorney and has practiced tenant law for more than 40 years. If you are facing a difficult tenant-landlord legal issue, call the Manhattan Law Office of Steven W. Smollens for a consultation.