Sylvia P. Tsai

I first encountered Ms. Tsai when I found an article written by her discussing NYS law on self-help evictions for commercial tenants. Although many lawyers and even the police may disagree, Ms. Tsai correctly discussed the circumstances under which landlords are allowed to evict commercial tenants on... their own--and in fact, if you are a commercial landlord or tenant in NYS, you may well find a clause allowing for landlord re-entry in your own lease. After reading the article, I consulted with Ms. Tsai on the details of how such an approach can be legally taken and she provided me with a detailed memo explaining the relevant laws and how they apply to my situation. It is definitely not an approach without risk and should not be undertaken lightly, but it is NYS courts have ruled in many cases that self-help commercial evictions are illegal, and in fact even the 2016 commercial tenant harassment law includes the following paragraph: "b. A landlord's lawful termination of a tenancy, lawful refusal to renew or extend a lease or other rental agreement, or lawful reentry and repossession of the covered property shall not constitute commercial tenant harassment for purposes of this chapter." I additionally paid Sylvia a retainer in case the matter went to court. She offered to refund any unused portion of the case if it was resolved quickly, and much to my surprise, I did in fact receive a partial refund--a first in my dealings with attorneys. It took some prodding and there was some reluctance on her firm's part (they billed everything starting from the first phone consultation), but she did keep her word and the final price was reasonable. Overall, I found her office to be very thorough and responsive in addressing any questions and concerns that came up.