Dennis R. Valenti

The Teacher Who Stayed in the Room

Dennis R. Valenti is a Shareholder at Conlin, McKenney & Philbrick, P.C., where he focuses on estate planning, probate and trust administration, business succession planning, and business law. Born in Royal Oak, Michigan and raised in Saline, Dennis brings more than thirty years of experience to clients whose estates range from moderate holdings to portfolios approaching $100 million.

Before practicing law full time, Dennis held faculty positions at Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University, and he published research in the Journal of Investing. That academic background still shapes how he works. He treats every client meeting as an opportunity to educate, breaking down tax strategies, trust structures, and succession timelines until the path forward is clear. His dual training in finance and law gives him an unusual vantage point: he reads balance sheets the way most attorneys read case law, and his clients benefit from that fluency.

Built for Complex Estates

Dennis accumulates nearly 50 hours of advanced continuing legal education each year, well beyond what the State Bar requires. That commitment keeps his practice current across the intersection of estate planning, tax law, and business formation, areas where the regulatory landscape shifts regularly. At CMP Law, he coordinates closely with the firm’s business and corporate law and real estate attorneys when succession plans involve operating companies, commercial holdings, or multi-entity structures.