Standing up for Landowners. Standing up to Government.

Headshot of Attorney Dan Tobin

Dan is the partner-in-charge of McFarland’s Dallas office. He has dedicated his career to representing real estate stakeholders. Before joining McFarland, Dan worked at a full-service law firm representing clients from dirt to disposition. He combines his experience as a real estate lawyer with McFarland's singular focus on eminent domain to put his clients in the best possible position for the best possible result.

Dan has been continuously selected by his peers for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers and D Magazine “Best Lawyers in Dallas” for his expertise in Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law. He is an affiliate member of Owners' Counsel of America, the nation's preeminent association of eminent domain attorneys devoted to representing landowners, and an affiliate member of the North Texas Chapter of CCIM.

A frequent speaker on condemnation and eminent domain law, Dan has presented to organizations such as the International Right of Way Association, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute.

Dan is an honors graduate of both Southern Methodist University School of Law and the University of Buffalo.

  • Texas, 2004
  • New York, 2006
  • Owners Counsel of America, Affiliate Member
  • North Texas CCIM Chapter, Affiliate Member, Affiliate Member
  • Austin Street Center for the Homeless, Ministry Leader, St. Monica Catholic Church
  • Southern Methodist University School of Law, Dallas, Texas
    • J.D. - 2004
    • Honors: cum laude
    • Law Review, SMU Law Review Association
  • University of Buffalo
    • B.A. - 2001
    • Honors: magna cum laude
  • Named one of the "Best Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2021, 2023-2024
  • Selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers, 2023-2026
  • “Texas Law on Utility Easements and Rights-of-Way,” live webinar speaker, 2023-2025
  • “Impacting Constitutional Rights: The Importance of Easements and Surveys to Eminent Domain,” speaker, Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Conference, Texas Chapter, May 2025
  • “Latest Developments in Eminent Domain,” speaker, Dallas Bar Association, December 2024
  • “Sticky Wickets: Difficult Compensation Questions,” speaker, International Right of Way Association, North Texas Chapter 2023 Spring Seminar
  • Greater Texas Podcast, Fighting for Landowners in Dallas, speaker, Spring 2022
  • Landed a jury verdict more than 300% higher than the State’s offer in Bastrop County for the partial taking of a self-storage business.
  • Achieved a $10,900,000 settlement for the owner of a food processing facility in Dallas County, a 163% increase over the City of Dallas’s offer.
  • Secured a $2,276,809 judgment for the State’s partial taking of a convenience store on an offer of $234,806.
  • Obtained a $5,500,000 judgment for the State’s partial taking of a multi-tenant automotive use property, a 150% increase over the State’s offer.
  • Negotiated a $1,500,000 increase in compensation for a nationwide developer due to a waterline easement impacting a 300+ residential home development in Collin County.
  • Secured a $1,137,500 increase in compensation for a ranch owner in Duval County over a high-voltage transmission line easement.
  • Negotiated a 440% increase in compensation for the owner of billboard easement in Bexar County.
  • Obtained a successful jury verdict in a Tarrant County case involving office use property bordering a golf course and an airport with issues concerning noise mitigation and cost to comply with municipal infrastructure requirements.
  • Secured a multimillion-dollar settlement of market value of vacant land with highest and best as development for a data center in the face of a project influence challenge by the utility company.
  • Successfully negotiated relocation of a temporary construction easement for a multifamily apartment complex in Bexar County to prevent negative impact on the function of the property.
  • President, SettlePou, 2019-2020