Media Contact: Barbara Fornasiero; EAFocus Communications; barbara@eafocus.com; 248.260.8466

Detroit–November 15, 2021–Detroit-based land use, business, and denominational trust law firm Dalton & Tomich is pleased to announce that Daniel P. Dalton, a founding partner of the firm, has been selected for inclusion in Crain’s Detroit Business’ inaugural list of Notable Real Estate Executives. Dalton, a nationally recognized real estate and religious liberty attorney, is among 30 real estate standouts who have made a substantial contribution to their industry and community, and who have distinguished themselves in the field by innovating, advancing and impacting the business of real estate.

A tenacious and strategic litigator in commercial land use, riparian (water) rights, and zoning disputes, Dalton’s profile on why he receive the award includes reference to his work with American Tower, Northern Michigan water rights cases, religious property disputes and recent work with a large nonprofit planning to build affordable housing.

In his religious property practice, Dalton has a masterful understanding of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA). He has handled the business side of religious property for all faiths to protect the religious organization’s right to use its property within the parameters of its spiritual mission and has worked with hundreds of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and almost all types of religious assembly use throughout the country to secure site plan approval or litigate claims in Federal Courts. Of the 35 RLUIPA cases filed nationally in 2020, Dalton and his team handled more than 35% of them, prevailing in 99% of the cases. Dalton also works with local churches seeking to separate from their mainline denominations while retaining their property using denominational trust clauses.

An accomplished legal writer, Dalton recently authored Religious Property Disputes and the Law: House of God, Laws of Man. Designed as a desk reference for pastors, lay church leaders and the attorneys who serve them, the book was published by the American Bar Association in August 2021. Dalton also wrote the award-winning Litigating Religious Land Use Cases, which was updated for a second edition in 2016. He wrote the 2020 e-book about protocols for the United Methodist Church separation entitled, What the Proposed UMC Separation Means for Your Church, and in 2017 he published the e-book, Navigating the United Methodist Church Trust Clause.

Dalton adds the Crain’s Notable Real Estate Executive title to numerous accolades in both real estate and law. Among them, he was recently named a DBusiness 2022 Top Lawyer in land use and zoning and is a long-standing award winner of Michigan Super Lawyers in the same category, including 2021. In addition to being honored as a Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2021 ‘Go To Lawyerfor Real Estate and Condo Law, Dalton was named to the legal publication’s 2010 class of Leaders in the Law.

Dalton is also regularly sought out by the media for stories on his high profile cases or topical religious land use issues and has been quoted in The Atlantic, the Wall Street JournalThe Washington Post, USA Today, Christianity Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Tennessean, among others.

Dalton is an active member of the Michigan Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association and is a lifetime member of the American Bar Foundation. Dalton holds a juris doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board of Directors, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University. Upon graduation from law school, he was a clerk for the Michigan Supreme Court.

He is actively engaged in his church, Trinity Church, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church located near Plymouth, Michigan, where he has held a variety of leadership roles. Dalton was also a citizen leader for the City of Plymouth, where he held roles on the city planning commission and zoning board and served three terms as an elected official on the city commission.

About Dalton + Tomich
Established in 2010, Dalton + Tomich PLC is the nation’s leader in protecting the religious property rights of faith communities and is comprised of religious liberty, land use, denominational trust law, and business law attorneys. Learn more about our services at https://www.daltontomich.com/.

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