Real Estate Law · DuPage County, Illinois
Residential and commercial closings handled with care from contract to keys, so the details are covered before you sign.
Whether you are a small landlord drafting leases for a rental property or a business signing a ten-year commercial space, the lease governs the entire relationship, and a weak one costs you when something goes wrong. We draft, review, and litigate leases for landlords and tenants across DuPage County, so the terms protect you before a dispute ever starts.
We have handled Illinois lease matters for more than thirty years, as part of a full real estate practice. The same office that drafts your lease can enforce it, and when a lease dispute has to be litigated, our civil litigation team takes it to court, so you are never handed off to a stranger mid-fight.
We address the full range of issues in this area.
A good lease is boring on purpose: it spells out rent, term, maintenance, default, and exit so clearly that there is nothing left to fight about. We build that clarity in, whether you are the landlord setting the terms or the tenant making sure they are fair, and we flag the provisions, automatic renewals, personal guaranties, escalation clauses, that quietly shift risk onto you.
When a lease is already signed and a dispute has started, we shift to enforcement. We read the lease and the conduct, send the notice the statute requires, and pursue the possession, unpaid rent, or damages you are owed, or defend you if the other side overreached. Either way, you get a clear read on your options and your costs before committing to a fight.
30+ years in DuPage and Cook County courts and recorder offices.
Chris or John handles your file personally.
Real estate, litigation, and estate planning under one roof.
We’ll tell you realistic outcomes, including when settlement is better than litigation.
Flat fees where possible, clear hourly rates where flat doesn’t fit.
Your calls returned, your questions answered.
From our Villa Park office, we represent clients across DuPage County and the western suburbs of Chicago.
For commercial leases, absolutely. The lease document governs years of your business relationship and significant dollar amounts. For residential leases, generic templates can work for simple situations, but custom drafting is recommended for multi-unit landlords, larger properties, or specific risk concerns.
NNN (triple-net), tenant pays base rent plus all property taxes, insurance, and maintenance. Gross, tenant pays a single rent figure that includes everything. Modified-gross, somewhere in between, with specific allocations. Each has different cash flow implications for both sides.
Yes, but only through proper court process. Notice requirements vary by reason (non-payment, lease violation, end of term). Self-help eviction (changing locks, removing belongings) is illegal in Illinois and exposes the landlord to substantial liability.
Non-payment cases: typically 4-8 weeks from initial notice to possession. Other lease violations or holdover cases: 6-12 weeks. Contested cases or those involving disputes can take longer.
Lease drafting is flat-fee based on complexity. Eviction is flat-fee per case. Lease litigation is hourly. We quote at consultation.
Only for specific, documented reasons, and the rules are strict. Illinois and many local ordinances require timely itemized statements and can impose penalties, sometimes double the deposit, on landlords who get it wrong. We make sure your lease and your deposit handling follow the law, on either side of the dispute.
For a meaningful commercial lease, it is worth it. These leases run for years and quietly assign responsibility for taxes, maintenance, insurance, and repairs in ways a template will not catch. A short review now is far cheaper than litigating an ambiguous clause later.
A free consultation tells you whether you have a viable matter and what the realistic process looks like.