Tyler D. Tennent is a Member of and General Counsel to Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler, PLC. He concentrates his practice in the areas of land use, real estate development, environmental, corporate, and related litigation.
Tyler is land use and environmental counsel to several international, national, and local real estate development companies. His practice involves land use entitlement approvals and environmental development strategies for developers. He also regularly advises clients regarding zoning approvals, land use permitting options, natural resource approvals, liability protections, defending environmental enforcement actions matters, and complex land use entitlement issues such as multi use developments, planned developments, and solar projects. He frequently assists clients with the development and operation of brownfield properties, the attainment of local, state, and national use permits, the securing of tax and financial incentives, the minimization of environmental risks associated with managing hazardous wastes, sustainable practices (LEED trained) and, with the drafting of contracts and corporate policies to avoid liability exposure. He handles cases that involve the transactional effects of environmental liability and advises corporations on the implementation of environmental audit and compliance programs. Tyler has significant litigation expertise representing parties in commercial, land use, and environmental litigation, including local, state, and federal administrative appellate actions and regulatory proceedings.
Additionally, he is counsel to governmental authorities for economic development, brownfield, complex land development matters. Some of the public corporations he has represented include land banks, brownfield authorities, and other economic development entities.
Tyler earned his J.D. in 1984 from Michigan State University College of Law and his B.A. from Michigan State University in 1981.
Tyler D. Tennent
Member
Education
- Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing, J.D. 1984
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, B.A. 1981
Associations
- American Bar Association
- American Planning Association
- Challenge Detroit (Member of Board)
- Michigan Planning Association
- Oakland County Bar Association
- Oakland County Fellow Foundation
- State Bar of Michigan
Published Works
- “Clean Air Permits, Special State Report – Michigan. Clean Air Permits: Managers Guide to the 1990 Clean Air Act” Thomson Publishing
- “Secured Creditors Face Expanded Liability Under CERCLA,” Michigan Environmental Law Journal Vol. 9:3
- “Asset Purchases and Successor Liability Under CERCLA,” 6 Mich. L. W. 1329 “Opinions of Third Parties: An Environmental Perspective,” ABA National Institute on Third Party Legal Opinions
- “New Developments Under the Clean Air Act,” 6 Mich. L.W. 1615
- “Avoiding an Environmental Surprise: Steps Which the Consumer/Real Estate Purchaser Should Take to Avoid Environmental Liability,” Loyola Consumer Law Reporter, Vol. IV, No. 3
Presentations
- “Special Zoning Issues: Wind Turbines;” National Business Institute, October 2008 “Opinions of Third Parties: An Environmental Perspective,” ABA National Institute on Third Party Legal Opinions
- “New Developments Under the Clean Air Act,” 6 Mich. L.W. 1615
- “Avoiding an Environmental Surprise: Steps Which the Consumer/Real Estate Purchaser Should Take to Avoid Environmental Liability,” Loyola Consumer Law Reporter, Vol. IV, No. 3
Bar Admission
- Michigan, 1984
- U.S. Federal Courts, 1984
Honors and Awards
- Chambers USA: Michigan Real Estate Zoning/Land Use, Band 1 – 2020- 2022 and Band 2 – 2023
- Chambers USA: Michigan Real Estate, Noted Practitioner
- Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© – Environmental Law: 2019 – 2025, Land Use and Zoning Law, 2025, Litigation- Land Use and Zoning, 2025
- Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© –Lawyer of the Year: 2022 Top Lawyer: Environmental Law – DBusiness,: 2019 – 2023
- Top Lawyer: Land Use and Zoning – DBusiness: 2019 – 2023 Michigan Super Lawyers: 2014 -2024
- Listed in Leading Lawyer: Environmental Law; Land Use, Zoning & Condemnation Law; Real Estate Law-Commercial
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated – LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell®
