Founding Partner Of Real Estate Law Specialist Rosenberg & Estis Dies At 73

Real estate litigation expert Warren A. Estis, a founding partner at New York law firm Rosenberg & Estis, died on Wednesday at age 73, his firm announced Thursday.

Estis served as the firm’s lead trial attorney during a 49-year career, representing developers and landlords in a range of state and federal courts.

“Warren was a distinguished member of New York City’s legal community and he will be remembered for his wit, intellect and tireless advocacy for the real estate industry,” Gary Rosenberg, Estis' co-founder, said in a statement. “We are saddened by his loss and share our heartfelt sympathies with his family.”

Over a decades-long career, Estis built a reputation for dogged litigation on a broad range of matters including commercial litigation, landlord-tenant disputes, real estate partnership disputes, mortgage foreclosures, rent strikes, land assemblages, and co-op and condo disputes.

As a result, he became well-known in New York’s real estate legal scene and courtrooms. He successfully tried cases in the New York State Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York and U.S. Tax Court. He also argued before the New York State Court of Appeals, Appellate Division, and the Appellate Term. 

Over the years, Estis’ client roster came to include Carnegie Hall Corp., Rockrose Development, TF Cornerstone, The Related Cos., J.D. Carlisle and Somerset Partners.

Estis earned a B.A. from LIU Post in Long Island in 1970, then received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1973, and went on to found Rosenberg & Estis together with Rosenberg in 1975.

Estis’ decorated career included awards including the American Jurisprudence Award in Negotiable Instruments and the Civil Court Practice Section Award from the New York County Lawyers' Association.

He also served on the Advisory Council for the Housing Part of the Civil Court of the City of New York, the Supreme and Civil Court Practice Sections of the New York County Lawyers' Association and the Real Property Division of the American Bar Association. He was also on the Special Committee on the Housing Court, the Civil Court Committee and the Housing Court Task Force.

Estis remained passionate about real estate law throughout his life, serving as a mentor to other attorneys and as a continuing education lecturer for court judges and attorneys at the New York State Judicial Institute. He co-authored the New York Law Journal’s Rent Regulation and Landlord/Tenant Law columns, and he wrote a book on New York’s rent regulation reforms of 1997. 

Funeral services for Estis will be held on Monday morning in Woodbury, Long Island. He is survived by his former wife, Karen Estis, partner, Tatyana Ekin and children Alex and Dani.

CORRECTION, APRIL 15, 3:30 P.M. ET: A previous version of this article misstated the date of Estis' funeral. This article has been updated.