Stephen R. Estey is a member in Dykema’s Real Estate Department and has over 23 years of experience. He represents individuals, municipalities, small businesses and Fortune 500 corporations in all aspects of commercial and governmental real estate development projects. He has extensive experience in expediting land use entitlements, and resolving a wide variety of disputes related to zoning, planned unit developments, special land uses, variances, eminent domain, easements, adverse possession, boundary and title issues, and various regulatory and administrative challenges, among others. He handles a wide range of matters at the trial and appellate levels of state and federal courts including complex arbitrations, as well as administrative and municipal tribunals, involving both business and real estate related disputes, foreclosures, workouts and receivership actions. 

For over 15 years, Mr. Estey has handled hundreds of eminent domain proceedings for various energy industry clients including electric transmission providers and petroleum pipeline companies to secure necessary property interests required for their capital projects. In addition he routinely assists electric and gas companies, and renewable energy developers (wind and solar) with regard to legal and strategic considerations in the planning and siting of new capital projects and represents their interest in easement/lease acquisitions, contract negotiations, land use entitlements and permitting.

Mr. Estey also has extensive experience in the siting of wireless telecommunication towers under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and small cell wireless facility deployment under the Small Wireless Communications Facilities Deployment Act and frequently appears before local municipal boards and commissions in support of applications for construction of new towers and collocation on behalf of wireless carriers and tower companies.

Mr. Estey is a member of the State Bar of Michigan Real Property Council and currently serves as the Coordinator for the State Bar of Michigan, Real Property Section Zoning and Land Use Committee. He is a frequent author and speaker on energy, infrastructure and emerging real estate topics. Since 2013, Mr. Estey has been recognized in Michigan Super Lawyers and has been recognized since 2018 by The Best Lawyers in America for Land Use and Zoning as well as DBusiness Magazine Top Lawyers in 2019. Hour Detroit Magazine has recognized him as a Top Lawyer in 2019 and he was recognized as a “Lawyer of the Year” for 2021 by The Best Lawyers in America.

Bar Admissions

Michigan, 1997

Education
Wayne State University, J.D., cum laude University of Michigan, B.A.

• Oakland County Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan
• Federal Bar Association
• Catholic Lawyers Society
• Barrister, American Inns of Court - Oakland County Circuit Court - 2004-2008
• Catholic Lawyers Society - Member, Board of Directors 2007-2008
• State Bar of Michigan - Real Property Law Section, Land Use & Zoning Committee
• Federal Bar Association
• Oakland County Bar Association

• 2006 - Detroit Land Development Conference - "Conditional Zoning In Michigan"

• Recent Amendment to Michigan’s Open Meetings Act Allows Electronic Meetings of Public Bodies

  By Stephen Estey |October 2020

• Virtual Meetings of Michigan Municipalities During the COVID-19 Pandemic Likely to Continue Based on Recent Legislation

  By Stephen Estey |October 2020

• Michigan Opens the Door for Expanded Solar Development on Farmland

  By Stephen Estey |June 2019

• 2006 - Detroit Land Development Conference - Tools for Successful Development "Conditional Zoning - A New Development Option For Property Owners And Municipalities"
• Author, Wayne State University Law Review Survey Article "Commercial Transactions and Contract", Vol. 48, No. 2A, Summer 2002