Devin Sullivan has spent his career representing a wide variety of government agencies, regulated utilities, and private businesses with respect to eminent domain, property law, municipal law, and commercial litigation in the trial courts, on appeal, and at arbitration.
Devin has represented governmental entities and utilities on many of the State’s largest and most complex public infrastructure projects, including major highway projects, utility lines, and renewable energy projects, among many others. He was a key member of the trial team for multiple condemnation trials in Michigan’s Thumb region, each of which resulted in the jury finding the agency’s original offer was just compensation for the property acquired, and that no additional compensation was owed to the property owners. He has also been instrumental in numerous appellate victories in the Michigan Supreme Court and Michigan Court of Appeals, capitalizing on his written advocacy talents to secure successful outcomes for the Firm’s clients.
Bar Admissions
Education
Harvard Law School
Juris Doctor, cum laude, 2010
- Technical Editor, Harvard Environmental Law Review
- Staff Member, Harvard Journal of Legislation
- Student Coordinator, Law & Arts Initiative
University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Bachelor of Business Administration with high distinction, 2007
Professional Groups
- Energy Bar Association
- State Bar of Michigan
- Real Property Law and Young Lawyers Sections
- Real Property Law and Young Lawyers Sections
- Harvard Club of Detroit
- Treasurer
- Harvard Law School Association of Michigan
- President
- Ross Club of Eastern Michigan
- International Right of Way Association
- Co-Chair, Legal Affairs Committee, Michigan Chapter
Publications
- It’s not just “BOILERPLATE”
Crossroads, (Quarterly Journal of the County Road Association of Michigan), Spring 2021 - Discovery in the Information Age: Michigan’s New ESI Rules
Wayne State University, Journal of Business Law, 2020 - Who Owns that Tree? Legal Issues Regarding Tree Removal in the Right-of-Way
Crossroads (Quarterly Journal of the County Road Association of Michigan), Spring 2018
Presentations
- BEAD is coming to your ROW: The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program
County Road Association of Michigan, December 2023 - All’s Fair in Love and Condemnation?
County Road Association, Legal Symposium, December 2022 - Complex Questions of Just Compensation and Relocation
IRWA, International Education Conference, June 2022 - Gordie Howe International Bridge Project
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Conference, April 2022 - Gordie Howe International Bridge Symposium
IRWA, Region 5 Fall Forum, October 2022 - Litigating Tricky Compensation Issues on the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project
IRWA (Michigan Chapter), November 2021 - Issues in Michigan Energy and Electric Utility Regulation
HalfMoon Seminars, March 2021 - Contract Clauses You Should Know
County Road Association, Legal Issues Symposium, December 2020 - The Gordie Howe International Bridge Project: Condemnation, Relocation, and Valuation Issues
Colorado Law Institute, CLE International, September 2020 - Right Tree, Right Place – ITC’s Vegetation Management Program From Conception through Litigation
IRWA 65th International Education Conference, June 2019, Portland, Oregon - 360-Degree View of Easement Valuation
IRWA, 65th International Education Conference, June 2019, Portland, Oregon - Understanding Utility Easements
Half Moon Seminars, May 2019 - Maintaining Effective Relationships with Outside Legal Counsel
County Road Association, March 2019 - Right-of-Way Acquisition: Knowing the Rules and Avoiding Subject Matter Jurisdiction Issues
County Road Association, Annual Legal Symposium, December 2019 - Making Your Case: Testifying at Depositions
IRWA (Michigan Chapter), November 2019 - Judges Have the Final Say on How to Value Easements
International Right of Way Association (Michigan Chapter), Fall Education Seminar, September 2018 - Do You Hate Lawyers? Learn to Love Them and Create a Cohesive Team in the Process
Right of Way (IRWA Magazine), May/June 2018 - Land Ownership Rights in the Right-of-Way
County Road Association Annual Legal Symposium, December 2017 - Tips and Tricks for Drafting Utility Easements
International Right of Way Association (Ohio Chapter) Law Day Seminar, November 2017 - ITC’s Michigan Thumb Loop
International Right of Way Association (Michigan Chapter), Fall Conference, October 2017 - From Legislation to Litigation: Michigan’s ‘Thumb Loop’ Transmission Line
International Right of Way Association, 63rd International Education Conference, June 2017 - Adverse Possession & Prescriptive Easements
International Right of Way Association (Michigan Chapter), May 2017 - Easement Drafting Nuts & Bolts: How to Draft Utility Easements Ahead of Time to Ensure a Successful Project
International Right of Way Association, 2nd Annual International Electric & Utility Symposium, April 2017 - Positioning Your Project to Succeed at Trial
International Right of Way Association (Michigan Chapter), September 2016
Honors & Awards
- Crain’s Detroit Business “40 Under 40” – 2022
- Best Lawyers – Ones to Watch – 2020 – Present
- Detroit Bar Association Foundation, Trustee
- Super Lawyers Rising Star – 2018 – 2021