Media Contacts: Barbara Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; [email protected]; 248.260.8466; Daniel Dalton; [email protected]; 248.229.2329
Detroit—March 1, 2021—Daniel Dalton and Zana Tomich, co-founders, and Noel Sterett, partner with the law firm of Dalton + Tomich,are pleased to announce attorney Lawrence Opalewski has been named a partner.
Based in the firm’s Detroit office, Opalewski joined Dalton & Tomich as a law clerk while a student at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2013 and has been representing religious organizations in land use disputes, property owners in zoning, site plan and easement disputes and privately held businesses as general counsel. Opalewski serves on the Clinton Township Planning Commission and is the author of Dalton & Tomich’s guide,How to Win Planning Commission Approval. He has significant experience in all aspects of litigation and has represented individuals, religious institutions, small to mid-size businesses, large businesses, and municipalities.
Additionally, Opalewski has a strong interest in the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) of 2000 and has assisted the firm in growing its national practice in the area of religious freedom for all faiths. In particular, he helps faith-based clients further the mission of their faith community by representing their RLUIPA property rights against township and city zoning laws.
Opalewski has been selected as a Michigan “Rising Star” litigator by Super Lawyers each year since 2017. While he enjoys advocating for his clients through litigation, he also appreciates the value of pre-litigation conflict resolution and seeks to solve problems less contentiously outside the courtroom as a State of Michigan certified civil mediator. Opalewski is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Detroit Bar Association; he is admitted to practice in the Sixth Circuit and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal.
“We are pleased to welcome Larry into the partnership,” Daniel Dalton said. “His experience in land use and zoning, combined with his RLUIPA knowledge, have played an integral role in growing the firm and ably serving an expanding client roster of religious organizations.”
About Dalton + Tomich
Detroit-based Dalton + Tomich PLC is comprised of attorneys who focus on helping local churches in religious property disputes involving religious organizations in land use and zoning disputes and local churches leaving denominations. The firm also represents property owners in site plan approvals, zoning appeals and land use disputes involving zoning, easements, boundary line disputes and access to water. The firm also works with privately held businesses, lending institutions and businesses in Michigan and Illinois. Serving as a partner to religious organizations, Dalton + Tomich is a national leader in religious property law land use, notably with cases related to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and denominational splits. Learn more about our services for businesses and religious organizations at https://www.daltontomich.com/.
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