Municipal Law Attorneys in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Every public meeting, hiring decision, and record request carries legal consequences that private organizations never face. A flawed Open Meetings Act notice can invalidate a board’s vote. A mishandled Freedom of Information Act response can trigger statutory penalties. An ordinance drafted without proper enabling authority invites a court challenge before the ink dries.

Conlin, McKenney & Philbrick, P.C. has served as legal counsel to cities, townships, counties, and villages in Washtenaw County and across Southeast Michigan for decades, advising elected officials, appointed boards, and department heads on the full scope of legal issues affecting local government.

Open Meetings Act and FOIA Compliance

Two statutes, the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act, define the transparency framework for every public body in Michigan. CMP Law counsels municipal clients on proactive compliance, including policy drafting, staff training, and records management, and defends municipalities when denials or alleged violations result in litigation.

Zoning, Land Use, and Ordinance Authority

Land use regulation is among the most contested areas of municipal authority. Under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, local governments adopt zoning ordinances, administer site plan review, and hear variance appeals through their zoning boards. CMP Law drafts and amends zoning ordinances, represents planning commissions during public hearings, and defends municipal land use decisions in court.

The firm also drafts regulatory ordinances, code amendments, and local legislation for cities, townships, counties, and villages. Every ordinance starts with the enabling statute; language that exceeds a municipality’s authority is unenforceable. When development projects involve environmental review or infrastructure agreements, the firm’s real estate and business and corporate law practice groups provide coordinated counsel under one roof.

Governmental Immunity and Litigation Defense

Michigan’s governmental immunity statute provides broad tort immunity to agencies engaged in governmental functions. Individual officers and employees receive qualified immunity unless their conduct rises to gross negligence. Specific exceptions exist for highway defects, motor vehicle operations, public building conditions, and sewage system events.

CMP Law defends municipalities and their employees in tort litigation, civil rights claims, and employment disputes. The firm’s insurance defense litigation and general civil litigation teams handle matters from claim investigation through trial and appeal. Several attorneys on the municipal team have served in governmental counsel roles, giving the firm practical insight into how public decisions are made, documented, and defended.

Labor Relations, Economic Development, and Intergovernmental Agreements

CMP Law advises municipalities on negotiation and daily administration of collective bargaining agreements, adjustment and arbitration of grievances, compulsory arbitration for police and fire personnel, civil service systems, and disciplinary proceedings. The firm’s employment law group works alongside the municipal team when disputes cross into general employment statutes.

Michigan municipalities also collaborate through intergovernmental agreements under the Urban Cooperation Act for shared police and fire services, water and sewer systems, and economic development. CMP Law drafts and negotiates these agreements and handles condemnation proceedings, public construction contracts, and procurement compliance.

Eminent Domain and Condemnation

When a municipality needs private property for a public project, such as a road widening, a utility easement, or a park expansion, the acquisition must follow Michigan’s Uniform Condemnation Procedures Act and the just compensation requirement of the Michigan Constitution. CMP Law guides public agencies through each step, from the good-faith written offer and the determination of public necessity to the deposit of estimated just compensation and, where it becomes necessary, litigation over valuation.

Michigan also restricts the use of eminent domain to transfer property to private parties for economic development, and the firm helps municipalities structure acquisitions that hold up to challenge. When a condemnation intersects with a private transaction or a title question, the firm’s real estate attorneys work alongside the municipal team.

Property Tax Appeals and Assessment Disputes

Assessment disputes can put significant revenue at stake for a local unit of government. A property owner first protests an assessment before the local March Board of Review, then appeals to the Michigan Tax Tribunal. CMP Law represents municipalities and assessing units in defending valuations and classifications under the General Property Tax Act, including classification disputes, before boards of review, the Michigan Tax Tribunal, and the appellate courts.

Marijuana Regulation and Licensing

Since Michigan voters approved the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act, every municipality has had to decide whether to allow or prohibit adult-use marihuana establishments within its borders. CMP Law advises local governments on opting out, capping the number of establishments, and adopting time, place, and manner ordinances that regulate operations without conflicting with state law.

The firm also counsels municipalities on licensing procedures, application scoring, and the zoning of establishments, and on how adult-use rules interact with the medical marihuana framework. When an applicant challenges a local decision, CMP Law defends the municipality’s ordinance and licensing process.

Code Enforcement and Ordinance Prosecution

Ordinances mean little without enforcement. Michigan municipalities pursue most ordinance violations as municipal civil infractions, commenced by citation and heard in district court, with the municipality as the plaintiff. CMP Law helps local governments draft enforceable ordinances, train code enforcement officers, prosecute civil infraction actions, and pursue nuisance and blight abatement.

When enforcement escalates into contested litigation, the firm’s general civil litigation attorneys carry the matter through hearing, trial, and appeal.

Insurance Defense for Road, Utility, and Vehicle Claims

Many tort claims against local government fall within narrow statutory exceptions to governmental immunity. The highway exception permits certain claims for injuries caused by defective roads, and the motor vehicle exception applies to the negligent operation of government-owned vehicles. CMP Law defends municipalities, road authorities, and their insurers against these claims, including suits arising from road and sidewalk conditions, utility and infrastructure failures, and accidents involving municipal vehicles.

The firm’s insurance defense litigation team handles investigation, discovery, dispositive motions, and trial, and coordinates closely with municipal insurers and self-insured pools.

Law Enforcement Liability and Civil Rights Defense

Claims against police departments and individual officers carry both financial and reputational stakes. CMP Law defends municipalities and law enforcement officers against civil rights claims, including allegations of excessive force, unlawful search or seizure, failure to train, and failure to intervene.

The firm advises departments on use-of-force policies, training programs, and internal investigations that reduce exposure before a claim arises, and raises qualified immunity and governmental immunity defenses where the facts support them. The firm’s insurance defense litigation attorneys handle these matters through trial and appeal in state and federal court.