Susan K. Friedlaender
Susan K. Friedlaender began practicing law in 1988. She has concentrated her practice in the areas of land use, zoning, and other real property related litigation. In her land use and zoning practice, she represents landowners and developers in their dealings with local administrative bodies to obtain building permits, special land use permits, site plan approval, variances, rezoning and other land use permits. She also handles appeals from municipal decisions and well as other litigation related to the use of land such as taking, due process and equal protection claims. Her real property litigation has involved building and use restrictions, riparian rights, easements, trespass, nuisance, drainage, adverse possession and other real estate related issues. She also has extensive experience with the Michigan Local Historic District Act and other historic preservation issues.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
Susan graduated from Wayne State University in 1988 and joined the Butzel Long law firm upon graduation. She left Butzel Long in 2000 to join Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn. In 2009, she left Honigman to practice with her former Butzel Long colleagues who had formed Berry Reynolds & Rogowski, PC. In 2013, She and Joe Rogowski formed Friedlaender Rogowski, PLC. In 2016, David Nykanen joined Susan and Joe to form their present law firm of Friedlaender Nykanen & Rogowski, PLC.
LEADERSHIP
Susan was a board member of the nationally-recognized Michigan Suburbs Alliance from 2004-2006, which provided support for the revitalization of aging near-downtown suburbs. The Alliance evolved into the now state-run Redevelopment-Ready Communities program. She served on the committee that created the first redevelopment-ready tools to qualify as a redevelopment-ready community.
Education
- Wayne State University Law School, Juris Doctor, 1988
- Order of the Coif
- Wayne Law Review, Production Editor
Professional Recognition
- SuperLawyer
- Best Lawyers in America
- Top Lawyer
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation (limited to top 1/3 of 1% of lawyers in each state)
Professional Involvement
State Bar of Michigan
- Real Property Law Section
- Council Member, 1998-2004
- Chair, Zoning & Land Use Subcommittee, 1996-2004
Michigan Suburbs Alliance
Publications
- Emerging Trends in Federal Regulatory Takings Law: The Dismantling of the State Litigation Requirements, Real Property Law Journal, Spring-Summer 2018, Volume 45, Nos.1-2
- Subdivision Plat as a Barrier to the Repurposing of Overstocked Land Under the Detroit Strategic Framework, Real Property Law Journal Fall 2013, Vol. 40, No.2
- Deliberate Indifference to Property Rights: The Proper Application of the “Shocks the Conscience” standard in Executive Abuse Zoning Cases, Real Property Law Journal Spring 2011, Vol. 38, No.
- At Some Point You Begin to Smell a Rat: City of Monterey v Del Monte Dunes, Real Property Law Journal Spring 2000; and Paragon’s Catch 22: Can seeking and being denied a Use Variance from A ZBA Preclude Litigation of a Subsequently Filed Taking Claim, Real Property Law Journal Fall 1998.
Amicus Briefs
- Houdini Properties, LLC v City of Romulus, 480 Mich 1022 (2008).
- Agripost LLC v Miami-Dade County 08-567 (2008), US Supreme Court (support of Cert. petition)
- Kyser v Kasson Township, 486 Mich 514 (2010)
Significant Cases
- France Stone Company v. Monroe Township, 790 F. Supp. 707 (ED Mich. 1992) and 802 F. Supp. 90 (ED Mich. 1992)
- Carleton Sportman’s Club v. Exeter Township, 217 Mich. App. 195 ( 1996)
- Draprop v. City of Ann Arbor, 247 Mich. App. 410 ( 2001)
- Crown Technology Park v D&N Bank, 242 Mich App 538 (1999)
- Charter Township of Bloomfield v. Oakland County Clerk, 253 Mich. App. 1 (2002)
- Harbor Telegraph 2103 LLC v. Oakland County Comm’rs, 253 Mich. App. 40 ( 2002)
- Village of Lincoln v. Viking Energy of Lincoln, Inc., unpublished opinion per curium of the Court of Appeals, decided August 24, 2004 (Docket No. 246319); rev’d in part, 474 Mich. 1018 (2006)
- Seiler v. Northville Township, 53 F. Supp. 2d 957 (ED Mich. 1999)
- LJS Partnership v. Fenton Township, unpublished opinion per curium of the Court of Appeals, decided December 28, 2004 (Docket No. 248311)
- Bedford Partners LLC v. Bedford Township, unpublished opinion per curium of the Court of Appeals, decided September 8, 2009 (Docket No. 278208)
- Edward C. Levy Co v. Metamora Township, unpublished opinion per curium of the Court of Appeals, decided January 22, 2009 (Docket No. 279431)
- Jay Schebel v. Pine Creek Ridge Home Owners Assoc, unpublished opinion per curium of the Court of Appeals, decided September 15, 2009 (Docket No. 284177)