By Jeanine Matlow
Legal News
As a managing attorney with Thav Ryke & Langan in Southfield, Dan Relle – who specializes primarily in probate litigation and disputed estate cases – came to his current profession with a well-rounded background.
For starters, while earning degrees in advertising and philosophy from Boston University, Relle competed as a Division 1 student athlete on the men’s crew team and graduated as one of the most decorated rowers in program history.
After several years working in marketing and finance, Relle attended Wayne State University Law School where he was the Vice-Commissioner of the Wayne State National Mock Trial Program and also competed on the Wayne State Moot Court Team. Prior to his current position, he worked in a boutique law firm specializing in commercial litigation and business law.
As Relle explains, he initially wanted to work in advertising. After landing a job at an ad agency, Relle later got an offer to work at a software startup.
“It was a very eye-opening experience going from a 100-person ad agency to a company with four people,” he says.
His experiences also taught him the ups and downs that come with any profession, including his legal career. When asked about the harder parts, Relle says: “My biggest challenge is navigating situations where clients believe they
know best—after all, I work for them. My role is to represent their interests as effectively as possible, but that also means balancing their instructions with my professional judgment. There’s often a lot of emotion involved, and walking that line between advocating for their position and conveying their wishes to the judge can be incredibly complex.”
Missing pieces can be a struggle as well, according to Relle.
“We work in a field where clear records and hard facts are often scarce, so much of the job involves piecing together fragments to craft a compelling and truthful narrative,” he says. “That can be another challenge.”
Still, Relle appreciates the rewards that come along the way.
“When we win, it’s not just about financial success,” he adds. “A favorable verdict gives my clients the chance to release years of trauma, emotional hardship, and anger—and finally begin to move forward with their lives.”
He also feels grateful for his workplace.
“My firm itself is very unique. We’re close to the largest probate-specific firm in the state,” explains Relle who has seen continued growth during the four years he has been there. “I now have a team of 11 people I manage that includes five attorneys and six paralegals.”
Back in high school, Relle planned to play baseball in college.
“But my senior year, I grew about 8 inches and gained 65 pounds,” he says. “The ball was in one place before and now that was 8 inches lower, so I had some trouble adapting to that. I wasn’t playing as well as I used to, so that dream kind of changed.”
His father, Jim, was an Olympic rower who trained at Harvard, but ironically, it was his mother who encouraged him to give the sport a try.
“My dad never really talked about rowing—it wasn’t part of his life anymore by the time I was born,” Relle recalls. “He didn’t pick it up again until I started rowing myself.”
It would turn out to be a good fit.
“Rowing is one of these sports that people start later in life anyway. Just to lift the boat, you have to be pretty strong,” he explains. “In my senior year of high school, I shifted from ball sports to rowing and it was unlike anything else I’d ever done. It’s the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done—it pushes you to your limits and leaves no room for shortcuts. It’s all about pure effort. You have to outwork your opponent, which is something that bodes well for me. It is so team driven; everybody works together or it doesn’t work. Success is built on camaraderie and everyone is equal and working for the same goal.”
Relle sees parallels between the sport and his law career.
“It goes for anything where you work with other people. There are so many moving pieces and people involved in a case. Everyone has to be on the same page. One person might own research and another handles client communication, but you all work for the same goal,” he says.
“If you can do more research and outwork the other side, you have a better chance of winning.”
A few years ago, Relle and his father participated in the Parent/Child race at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, the world’s largest three-day rowing competition that attracts more than 12,000 athletes and tens of thousands of spectators in October.
“For the past seven or eight years, my dad still races with his old Olympic teammates with the Canadian National Rowing Team Alumni,” says Relle.
He and his father hope to compete again in the near future, says Relle, who lives in Bloomfield Township with his fiancée Sarah Dalley and their Golden Retriever Henley, named after the royal regatta in the U.K.
Legal News
As a managing attorney with Thav Ryke & Langan in Southfield, Dan Relle – who specializes primarily in probate litigation and disputed estate cases – came to his current profession with a well-rounded background.
For starters, while earning degrees in advertising and philosophy from Boston University, Relle competed as a Division 1 student athlete on the men’s crew team and graduated as one of the most decorated rowers in program history.
After several years working in marketing and finance, Relle attended Wayne State University Law School where he was the Vice-Commissioner of the Wayne State National Mock Trial Program and also competed on the Wayne State Moot Court Team. Prior to his current position, he worked in a boutique law firm specializing in commercial litigation and business law.
As Relle explains, he initially wanted to work in advertising. After landing a job at an ad agency, Relle later got an offer to work at a software startup.
“It was a very eye-opening experience going from a 100-person ad agency to a company with four people,” he says.
His experiences also taught him the ups and downs that come with any profession, including his legal career. When asked about the harder parts, Relle says: “My biggest challenge is navigating situations where clients believe they
know best—after all, I work for them. My role is to represent their interests as effectively as possible, but that also means balancing their instructions with my professional judgment. There’s often a lot of emotion involved, and walking that line between advocating for their position and conveying their wishes to the judge can be incredibly complex.”
Missing pieces can be a struggle as well, according to Relle.
“We work in a field where clear records and hard facts are often scarce, so much of the job involves piecing together fragments to craft a compelling and truthful narrative,” he says. “That can be another challenge.”
Still, Relle appreciates the rewards that come along the way.
“When we win, it’s not just about financial success,” he adds. “A favorable verdict gives my clients the chance to release years of trauma, emotional hardship, and anger—and finally begin to move forward with their lives.”
He also feels grateful for his workplace.
“My firm itself is very unique. We’re close to the largest probate-specific firm in the state,” explains Relle who has seen continued growth during the four years he has been there. “I now have a team of 11 people I manage that includes five attorneys and six paralegals.”
Back in high school, Relle planned to play baseball in college.
“But my senior year, I grew about 8 inches and gained 65 pounds,” he says. “The ball was in one place before and now that was 8 inches lower, so I had some trouble adapting to that. I wasn’t playing as well as I used to, so that dream kind of changed.”
His father, Jim, was an Olympic rower who trained at Harvard, but ironically, it was his mother who encouraged him to give the sport a try.
“My dad never really talked about rowing—it wasn’t part of his life anymore by the time I was born,” Relle recalls. “He didn’t pick it up again until I started rowing myself.”
It would turn out to be a good fit.
“Rowing is one of these sports that people start later in life anyway. Just to lift the boat, you have to be pretty strong,” he explains. “In my senior year of high school, I shifted from ball sports to rowing and it was unlike anything else I’d ever done. It’s the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done—it pushes you to your limits and leaves no room for shortcuts. It’s all about pure effort. You have to outwork your opponent, which is something that bodes well for me. It is so team driven; everybody works together or it doesn’t work. Success is built on camaraderie and everyone is equal and working for the same goal.”
Relle sees parallels between the sport and his law career.
“It goes for anything where you work with other people. There are so many moving pieces and people involved in a case. Everyone has to be on the same page. One person might own research and another handles client communication, but you all work for the same goal,” he says.
“If you can do more research and outwork the other side, you have a better chance of winning.”
A few years ago, Relle and his father participated in the Parent/Child race at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, the world’s largest three-day rowing competition that attracts more than 12,000 athletes and tens of thousands of spectators in October.
“For the past seven or eight years, my dad still races with his old Olympic teammates with the Canadian National Rowing Team Alumni,” says Relle.
He and his father hope to compete again in the near future, says Relle, who lives in Bloomfield Township with his fiancée Sarah Dalley and their Golden Retriever Henley, named after the royal regatta in the U.K.
Dan Relle was an accomplished rower during his collegiate days at Boston University.
Pictured at top, Dan Relle was part of the eight-man team for the Terriers.
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