Brian Connolly

Brian J. Connolly is an Assistant Professor of Business Law. His research and teaching centers in real estate, land use, and development law. His primary research interests include issues of public and private regulation of land use and their relationship to housing affordability and urban redevelopment. Professor Connolly has also written on First Amendment issues related to local government regulation – including signs and outdoor advertising and other free speech issues – as well as fair housing matters in local planning and zoning. Professor Connolly’s work on these topics has included filing multiple U.S. Supreme Court amicus curiae briefs and serving as an expert witness in cases involving these and other land-use topics.

Before entering academia, Professor Connolly was a partner in a Denver, Colorado law firm where he represented public- and private-sector clients in zoning, planning, development entitlements, and other complex regulatory matters. In private practice, he worked on projects that, taken together, included over $20 billion in real estate investment and created over 10,000 housing units, industrial facilities, and resort and recreational opportunities.  He also represented clients in land use and zoning litigation and real estate transactions. During his time in Colorado, Professor Connolly also co-founded and led the Colorado Housing Affordability Project, which succeeded in pressing for research-backed changes to the state's land-use laws to facilitate the development of more affordable forms of housing. Before his legal career, Professor Connolly served as an urban planner in local government.

At Michigan Ross, Professor Connolly teaches Real Estate Law.