Top 15 Real Estate Law Firms in New York (2026)

Published: March 6, 2026New York, NY2026730 words3 min read

Key Takeaways

Fried Frank ranks #1 overall with 9 source appearances including Chambers Band 1 and $3.2 billion in closed NYC sales (The Real Deal, 2025).
Four firms earned Chambers USA Band 1 in Real Estate (Mainly Dirt): Fried Frank, Greenberg Traurig, Gibson Dunn, and HSF Kramer (Chambers, 2025).
Greenberg Traurig had 46 attorneys named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Real Estate Lawyers — more than any other firm (Lawdragon, 2025).
Simpson Thacher and Cleary Gottlieb hold Chambers Band 1 in Real Estate Corporate & Finance despite fewer total source appearances.
Rankings were compiled from 17 sources spanning trust scores 4–10, with composite MetaScores weighting appearance frequency (40%), ranking position (30%), and source authority (30%).

Based on cross-referencing 17 authoritative sources including Chambers USA (trust 10/10), Legal 500 (trust 9/10), U.S. News Best Law Firms (trust 10/10), and Lawdragon 500 (trust 8/10), here are the top-ranked real estate law firms in New York for 2026.

Top 5 Real Estate Law Firms in New York — Chambers Band 1

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP — Chambers Band 1 for 18 consecutive years, Legal 500 Tier 1, #1 by deal volume at $3.2B across 42 closed sales (The Real Deal, 2025). MetaScore: 98/100 across 9 sources.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP — Chambers Band 1 for 18 years, Legal 500 Tier 1, 46 attorneys named to Lawdragon 500 — most of any firm. MetaScore: 93/100 across 8 sources.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP — Chambers Band 2 in Mainly Dirt, Chambers Band 1 in Corporate & Finance (18 years), Legal 500 Tier 2. MetaScore: 92/100 across 7 sources.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP — Chambers Band 1 for 16 years, Legal 500 Tier 1, recognized by Best Lawyers 2026. MetaScore: 91/100 across 5 sources.
HSF Kramer (Herbert Smith Freehills + Kramer Levin) — Chambers Band 1 in Mainly Dirt (18 years) and Zoning/Land Use (5 years), Legal 500 Tier 3. MetaScore: 89/100 across 5 sources.

Firms Ranked 6–10: Multi-Source Leaders

Paul Hastings LLP — Chambers Band 2, Legal 500 Tier 1, Best Lawyers 2026 and Best Law Firms 2026. MetaScore: 87/100.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP — Chambers Band 3 in Mainly Dirt, Band 2 in Corporate & Finance (18 years), Legal 500 Tier 2. MetaScore: 85/100.
Herrick, Feinstein LLP — Chambers Band 5 in Mainly Dirt (18 years), Band 2 in Litigation and Zoning/Land Use, named to Vault 2026 Best Midsize Firms. MetaScore: 85/100 across 8 sources.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP — Chambers Band 1 in Corporate & Finance (18 years), Legal 500 Tier 1. MetaScore: 80/100.
Holland & Knight LLP — Chambers Band 5 in Mainly Dirt, Band 2 in Zoning/Land Use, Legal 500 Tier 2, Best Law Firms 2026. MetaScore: 78/100.

Firms Ranked 11–15: Established Real Estate Practices

Latham & Watkins LLP — Chambers Band 2 in Corporate & Finance (18 years), Legal 500 Tier 1, Michelle V. Kelban recognized as Global Chair of Real Estate by Lawdragon. MetaScore: 78/100.
Hogan Lovells US LLP — Chambers Band 3 in Mainly Dirt, Band 2 in Zoning/Land Use, Legal 500 Tier 5, Best Law Firms 2026. MetaScore: 77/100.
Proskauer Rose LLP — Chambers Band 4 (18 years), Legal 500 Tier 2, Best Law Firms 2026, BCG Search top pick. MetaScore: 77/100.
DLA Piper LLP — Chambers Band 3 (18 years), Legal 500 Tier 1, Best Law Firms 2026. MetaScore: 76/100.
Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. — Named to Lawdragon 500 (only firm under 39 attorneys on the list), Super Lawyers Top 100 NY Attorney, Expertise.com 2026 pick. MetaScore: 76/100.

Top Firms for Real Estate Litigation in New York

Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP — Chambers Band 1 in Real Estate Litigation (5 years), recognized for joint venture counsel strength (Chambers, 2025).
Fried Frank — Chambers Band 1 in Real Estate Litigation (5 years).
HSF Kramer and Herrick Feinstein — Both Chambers Band 2, recommended for finance-related and complex real estate disputes.
Goodwin Procter LLP — Chambers Band 3, Legal 500 Tier 2, 12 years ranked in Corporate & Finance.

Top Firms for Zoning and Land Use in New York

HSF Kramer — Chambers Band 1 in Zoning/Land Use (5 years), expertise in zoning, landmark, and planning approvals (Chambers, 2025).
Holland & Knight LLP — Chambers Band 2 (5 years), Stuart Saft named to Commercial Observer Power Residential List.
Herrick Feinstein LLP — Chambers Band 2 (4 years).
Hogan Lovells US LLP — Chambers Band 2 (2 years).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which real estate law firm in New York is ranked #1 across the most sources?

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP tops the rankings with appearances in 9 of 17 sources, including Chambers Band 1 (18 consecutive years) and #1 by deal volume at $3.2 billion in closed NYC sales (The Real Deal, 2025).

What are the best firms for real estate litigation in New York?

Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP holds Chambers Band 1 in Real Estate Litigation (5 years). Fried Frank also earned Band 1, while HSF Kramer, Herrick Feinstein, and Goodwin Procter hold Band 2–3 rankings (Chambers USA, 2025).

Which New York real estate law firms specialize in zoning and land use?

HSF Kramer holds Chambers Band 1 in Zoning/Land Use for 5 consecutive years. Holland & Knight, Herrick Feinstein, and Hogan Lovells all hold Chambers Band 2 rankings in this specialty (Chambers USA, 2025).

Are there any boutique firms ranked among the top real estate lawyers in New York?

Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. is the only firm with fewer than 39 attorneys named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Real Estate Lawyers (2025). Adam Leitman Bailey was also named a Super Lawyers Top 100 Attorney in New York.

How were these New York real estate law firm rankings determined?

Rankings were compiled from 17 sources including Chambers USA, Legal 500, U.S. News Best Law Firms, and Lawdragon 500. MetaScores weight appearance frequency (40%), ranking position (30%), source authority (20%), and presence in trust 9–10 publications (10%).