Emilie B. Cooper

Emilie B. Cooper is a partner and member of the Real Estate and Litigation Departments, resident in the New York office. Emilie is an accomplished litigator and trusted advisor with significant experience handling complex commercial disputes in the real estate and hospitality arenas.

Emilie has successfully represented companies and individuals, including real estate and hotel investors, developers, lenders, landlords, owners, managers, and operators, in a wide variety of matters including in connection with partnership disputes, breach of contract claims, leasing disputes, commercial tort suits and foreclosures. Her in-depth knowledge of all aspects the real estate industry has proven invaluable to her clients, whether as plaintiffs or defendants. In particular, her understanding their business and operational environment enables her to litigate more effectively, and adopt a practical, solution-oriented approach in all of her cases. She also works hand-in-hand with her transactional colleagues to advise clients concerning the potential litigation implications of their agreements and to provide a litigator's point of view in a transactional context.

Work Highlights

• Providing ongoing advice to a commercial landlord concerning leasing and other issues in light of COVID-19.
• Obtaining a preliminary injunction for the manager of a 600-room hotel in Times Square preventing the premature termination of a hotel management agreement.
• Representing the developer of a building on Billionaires' Row in a claim on a performance bond.
• Litigating a jury trial on behalf of a private plaintiff pursuing securities fraud claims for insider trading and market manipulation.
• Representing minority partner in portfolio of over 20 buildings in numerous suits involving claims for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, rescission, and imposition of a constructive trust.
• Defending the developer of a luxury residential building in downtown Manhattan in connection with a claim for a brokerage commission.
• Arbitrating a dispute for a major boutique hotel operator concerning fees owed pursuant to a management agreement for a well-known hotel located in Los Angeles.
• Representing lenders in foreclosing on over $300 million of loans secured by two midtown hotels, and in pursuing personal guaranties provided by borrower's principals in connection with the loans.

Emilie has been named a New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Star by Thomson Reuters each year from 2015-2020, and was recognized as a “Leading Lady in Real Estate” by Real Estate Weekly in 2019.

Emilie regularly publishes articles concerning litigation developments that are pertinent to the real estate industry, and authored Lexis Practice Advisor's Practice Note: Commercial Mortgage Foreclosure (NY). She has presented seminars and CLEs on contract interpretation from a real estate litigator's point of view, the implications of COVID-19 on the real estate industry, and leasing litigation issues.

Emilie is the Chair of the Georgetown Law NYC Regional Engagement Council, sits on the Advisory Board for the annual Hotel & Lodging Legal Summit, and is a proud member of Chief. She also maintains an active pro bono practice, and has successfully obtained asylum for several clients fleeing persecution, including an Ethiopian orphan who originally came to the United States to seek medical treatment for complications from her amputated leg.

Prior to joining Fried Frank, Emilie was a partner in the New York office of a national firm and at a New York-based litigation boutique.