Susan Hlywa Topp, PLC

Law Firm Overview

Mrs. Topp is a solo practitioner and practices exclusively in the areas of environmental, oil & gas, natural resources, and real estate development law.  Prior to starting her own practice, she was an Associate with Plunkett & Cooney and a partner in the law firm of Rolinski & Topp.  She was also employed for 13 years as a Conservation Officer/Environmental Conservation Officer with the Michigan Departments of Natural Resources/Environmental Quality.  Mrs. Topp is a member of the Council of the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar and an Adjunct Faculty Member of the Siena College - Audubon International Institute.  She graduated magna cum laude from Central Michigan University in 1978 and received her law degree cum laude in 1991 from Wayne State University.

Areas of Practice

• Environmental Law
• Natural Resource Law
• Oil & Gas Law
• Condominiums and PUD'S
• Real Estate Development

Honors and Awards

• American Jurisprudence Award for Legal Research & Writing, 1987
• Trial Advocacy Award, 1988

Published Works

• "Natural River Act: Inconsistencies in Variance Rules", 16 Mich Env L J No. 4, 1997
• "Non-Point Source Water Quality Regulation in the United States", VII-6 International Legal Strategy, No. 15, 1998
• "Severed Minerals: Are Surface Owners Entitled to Damages for Diminution of Their Property Value?" , Vol. 78, No. 2 Mich. B.J. 148, Feb., 1999

Classes and Seminars

• Condominum Law Update, ICLE & Michigan State Bar, 2002 - Present
• Environmental Law Update, ICLE & Michigan State Bar, 2002 - Present
• "Negotiating Contaminated Property Transfers," Speaker, Michigan State Bar Environmental Law Section, 2002
• "Environmental Aspects of Real Estate Transfers," Speaker, Upper Michigan Legal Institute and the Institute for Continuing Legal Education of the Michigan State Bar, 1996
• "Listen, Learn & Lead: Surviving in These Litigious Times," Speaker, Michigan Municipal League, 1996
• "Natural Resources/Wetlands: Wetlands Mitigation, Habitat and Open Space," Speaker, State Bar of Michigan Environmental Law Section Update '96, 1996
• "Contaminated Property Issues Under Part 201 of the Natural Resources Environmental Protection Act," Speaker, Michigan City Management Association Summer Workshop, 1997

Representative Clients

• Boyne, U.S.A.
• Freudenberg, NOK
• First National Bank
• Machga Anstalt
• Otsego Ski Club

Representative Cases

• Terra Energy, Ltd. v State of Michigan, 241 Mich App 393 (Court of Appeals 2000)

West Practice Categories

Administrative Hearings & Adjudication, Regulatory Enforcement, Minerals & Mining, Oil & Gas, Cleanup & Superfund, Hazardous Waste, Permits, Regulatory Compliance & Auditing, Solid Waste, Water Pollution, Wetlands & Wild Lands, State Trial Practice, Fisheries & Wildlife, Logging & Timber, Water & Riparian Rights, Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums & Cooperatives, Conveyancing, Eminent Domain, Land Use & Zoning, Landlord/Tenant, Residential Real Estate