Darius W. Dynkowski

Darius W. Dynkowski is a Shareholder practicing in Butzel’s Detroit office.  He concentrates his practice in the areas of condemnation and eminent domain, inverse condemnation and defacto takings, regulatory takings, property tax appeals, real estate valuation litigation, general real estate litigation including easements, leases, property line disputes, and all other aspects of real property dispute resolution in both state and federal courts. Mr. Dynkowski is fully licensed in Michigan and Ohio and has handled matters nationally. 

Mr. Dynkowski has devoted his career to protecting private property rights and specializes in all aspects of real estate and business valuation.  Mr. Dynkowski has guided his career on the basic premise that no one should be forced to face the involuntary loss of their property by a governmental agency without representation.  Mr. Dynkowski has spent the last 25 years fighting city hall on behalf of his clients.  Mr. Dynkowski’s clients range from homeowners to national corporations and the types of properties he has handled include residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and special purpose properties.

Mr. Dynkowski has served as the lead attorney on several matters that have resulted in compensation exceeding the original offer by at least $1 million against governmental agencies and utility companies.

Mr. Dynkowski served as the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property Land Use and Environmental Group Condemnation Committee. In 2009, Chambers USA recognized Darius as one of the best eminent domain attorneys in the country. In 2012 Michigan Lawyers Weekly named Darius a Leader In The Law. In addition, he has been featured in the Michigan Super Lawyers magazine, Best Lawyers in America and has an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell.  Darius has also served as an adjunct professor at Michigan State University – DCL College of Law, is a frequent lecturer nationally, and has numerous publications regarding eminent domain.  In June 2009, Mr. Dynkowski was appointed by the Governor to serve two terms on the State of Michigan Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Board.

Mr. Dynkowski is a 1993 graduate of Wayne State University, and he received his Juris Doctor degree from Michigan State University – DCL College of Law in 1996.

Speaking Engagements

• CLE International, Eminent Domain, Dearborn, MI, Sept., 2002 “Challenges to the Necessity of a Taking”
• CLE International, Regulatory Takings, Denver, CO, June, 2003 “Computation of Damages in Temporary Regulatory Takings”
• State Bar of Michigan, Real Property Section, July, 2003, Roundtable discussion leader, “Avoiding Pitfalls in Condemnation Litigation”
• CLE International, Eminent Domain, Raleigh, NC, August, 2003 “Federal Takings Litigation”
• CLE International, Eminent Domain, Austin, TX, February, 2004 “Federal Condemnation”
• American Bar Association, State and Local Government Law Section Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA, March, 2004, Hot Topics Discussion panel leader, “Necessity Issues in Condemnations”
• CLE International, Eminent Domain, Dearborn, MI, June, 2004 “Computation of Damages in Temporary Regulatory Takings”
• American Bar Association Annual Meeting, State and Local Government Law Section, Hot Topics discussion panel leader, Atlanta, Ga., August, 2005, “Necessity Challenges to Takings”
• CLE International, Eminent Domain, Las Vegas, NV, April, 2005 “Federal Condemnations”, “Computation of Damages in Federal Temporary Regulatory Takings”, “Necessity Challenges to Takings”, “Ethics Discussion, Panelist”
• CLE International, Eminent Domain, Dearborn, MI, October, 2005 “The Assemblage Doctrine as Applied to Eminent Domain Proceedings”
• CLE International, Eminent Domain, Chicago, IL, November, 2005 “Calculation of Damages in Temporary Regulatory Takings”
• ALI-ABA (American Law Institute-American Bar Association), Eminent Domain, San Diego, CA, January, 2006 “Event Occurring After the Date of Taking and Admissibility and Relevance to the Valuation Process”
• American Bar Association, Annual Real Estate Symposium, San Diego, CA, May, 2006, Program Director and Moderator “The Public and Private Sector’s Role in Rebuilding Areas Impacted by Catastrophic Disasters”
• CLE International, Eminent Domain, St. Louis, MO, March, 2007 “Federal Condemnation”
• CLE International, National Eminent Domain Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April, 2007 “Litigating Environmental Domain Cases After Kelo”
• American Bar Association, Real Property Section, Fall, 2007 CLE, Vancouver, British Columbia, September, 2007, Program Chair, Moderator, Panelist “Condemnation for Economic Development Purposes – American and Canadian Approaches”
• National Business Institute, Road and Access Law: Successfully Handling Disputes, November, 2007 “Easement Law.”
• CLE International, National Eminent Domain Conference, Orlando, FL, May, 2008 “Direct Testimony of Expert Witnesses in Eminent Domain Cases”
• ALI-ABA, Eminent Domain National Conference, San Diego, CA, January, 2012 Speaker
• American Bar Association, Real Property Section Annual Real Estate Symposium, New York, NY, May 2012, Moderator “Battle For Brooklyn”
• American Bar Association, Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August, 2012, Speaker Arkansas Game and Fish v U.S., “Panelist A Divide and Conquer – The Subdivision Approach in Eminent Domain Valuation Litigation”
• American Bar Association, Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, August, 2013, Presidential Showcase Seminar, Moderator “Planning and Takings in The Aftermath of Koontz”
• CLE International, Ohio Eminent Domain Conference, Cleveland Ohio, October 2013, Program Chair and Presenter.
• Michigan State Bar Association, Real Property Section, Homeward Bound CLE, December 2014, Panelist and Presenter “Avoiding Pitfalls In Eminent Domain Practice”
• ALI-CLE, Eminent Domain National Conference, San Francisco, CA, February 2015, Speaker “Environmental Issues in Eminent Domain Actions”
• CLE International, National Eminent Domain Seminar, Las Vegas, NV, December, 2016 – Program Chair Person
• CLE International, National Eminent Domain Seminar, Las Vegas, NV, December, 2017 – Program Chair Person
• International Right of Way Association, Petoskey, MI, Annual Eminent Domain Law Update Presenter, September 2018
• CLE International, Eminent Domain National Seminar, Scottsdale, AZ, December 2018, Presenter, “Both Sides of the Taking”
• International Right of Way Association, Petoskey, MI, Annual Eminent Domain Law Update Presenter, September 2019

Published Article and Papers

• Current Condemnation Law: Takings, Compensation and Benefits, Second Edition, American Bar Association, 2006 Co-Editor, Author
• Co-author with Alan T. Ackerman, Protect Your Domain From Eminent Danger, Used Car Dealer Magazine, February 2012.
• Co-author with Alan T. Ackerman, Chopping Centers? Commercial property owners can minimize the disruptions and financial headaches of costly land seizures, Shopping Center Business, March 2011.
• Co-author with Alan T. Ackerman, The Federal Process in Gas Storage Condemnation Litigation, The Federal Lawyer, January 2011.
• Co-author with Alan T. Ackerman, Do Judicial Challenges to Takings Still Exist?, Michigan Real Property Review, Summer, 2010.

All Related Practice Areas

Education

Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University, 1996, JD

Wayne State University, 1993

Admissions

Memberships

• Prior Chairperson, American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Land Use and Environmental Group
• Adjunct Professor, University of Detroit Law School, since 2002
• Adjunct Professor, Michigan State University College of Law, since 2009
• Board Member, Owners’ Counsel of America, 2014-2017

Awards & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America®: Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, 2023-2025; Real Estate Law, 2025

Michigan Super Lawyers, Eminent Domain, 2022-2024