Michael Iakovou

Michael Iakovou is the co-founder and Managing Member of the Transactional Group of KI Legal. With a valuable combination of legal and business experience, he understands the specific needs and challenges of the New York business owner. This allows him to provide clients with the quality advice and guidance they need to make effective decisions for growing and supporting their business investments. Michael has the knowledge and expertise to effectively represent companies in every aspect of their business lives, from real estate and labor-related issues to business formation and asset protection. 

With vast commercial real estate and business transaction experience, Michael has represented sellers, purchasers, and landlords in numerous transactions, including those related to development sites, multi-family properties, commercial parcels, commercial leases, ground leases, cooperatives, condominiums and private residences through New York City and Long Island. His experience also includes substantial commercial lending representation, providing counsel to numerous national and local lenders.  

Michael’s extensive business and legal skills were refined throughout his experience as a business owner in various unrelated business ventures. First-hand experience as both an investor and in-house counsel has allowed Michael to acquire a keen sense of any business owners’ concerns regarding asset protection, day-to-day operations, partnership issues, and all matters related to company expansion. Michael has handled such business-related matters as negotiation of commercial leases, investor terms, incorporation, by-laws and vendor negotiations, as well as the routine review of all marketing and day-to-day procedures of the company. This experience gave him the skills and knowledge to provide effective general counsel to a variety of businesses. 

Recently, Michael has been selected by Thomson Reuters® as a New York Super Lawyer Rising Star, an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice and only 2.5% of attorneys in New York Metro receive this distinction. Additionally, and along with KI Legal co-founder Andreas Koutsoudakis, Michael was inaugurated into the Greek America Foundation’s 40 under 40 class of 2022, due to his concurrent professional and philanthropic excellence.  Furthermore, he is a member of the Hellenic Lawyers Association where he shares his passion for law and the pride of this Hellenic heritage with like-minded legal professionals. 

Areas of Practice

• Construction & Development Law
• Corporate Acquisitions & Corporate Dissolutions
• Corporate Governance
• Asset Protection
• Commercial Real Estate Finance Acquisitions & Dispositions
• Lender Representation

Industries

• Hospitality
• Real Estate
• Institutional Lenders

Education

• Fordham University School of Law, LLM in Banking, Corporate and Finance (Expected 2024)
• Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, Central Islip, NY, Juris Doctor
• Fordham University, Fordham College at Rose Hill, Bronx, NY

Bar Admissions

• New York
• Ohio

Court Admissions

• United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• United States Supreme Court

Memberships & Affiliations

• Hellenic Lawyers Association, Member
• New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, Member
• New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Member
• The Miami Hospitality Alliance, Co-Founder

Publications & Media Appearances

• NY Daily News, “Injured Firefighters Plan Suit Against NYC Over Closing Firehouse Before Near-Deadly Blaze,” June 2023

Awards & Accolades

• SuperLawyers, New York Rising Star, 2022
• Greek America Foundation, 40 Under 40, 2022

Languages

• Greek (Fluent)
• Spanish (Conversational)