About KTJ

Since 1935, Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, Ltd. ("KTJ") has been representing local governments, private corporations, and providing tax and estate planning services throughout the Chicago area and Illinois.  Today, the firm represents a large number of local governmental entities, including cities, villages, school districts, local libraries, library districts and library systems, fire protection districts and other special districts handling all of their general and special needs, while providing a wide range of general legal services to private corporations and to individuals including corporate, environmental, real estate, zoning, tax and estate planning needs.

Our firm has long been a leader in the local government field. Patrick A. Lucansky, Terrence M. Barnicle, Thomas P. Bayer, Everette M. (Buzz) Hill, Michael J. Duggan and Scott F. Uhler have been selected as leading lawyers in Illinois by their peers in their local government practice areas.  KTJ is a respected leader in providing effective legal services to local governments throughout Illinois. Our commitment to our clients is to ensure the highest quality work for our clients, while responding promptly in addressing client matters. We work diligently to practice “preventative” law to assist our clients with practices to best avoid potential problems. When problems do arise, we work with our clients to provide both an understanding and interpretation of the applicable law, and to collaborate with them to achieve solutions to those problems.
 

History

Paul Klenk and Franklin Klein formed "Klenk and Klein" in the 1930s.  Paul Klenk was the former mayor of Blue Island and Klenk and Klein represented the Village of Blue Island Park District.  Klein, a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, was also from the Blue Island area and many of the firm's original individual clients were from Blue Island.  Klein's family owned the grain elevator located in Blue Island and his brothers, Walter and Robert, operated the Klein elevator after their father ceased running the family business.  Klein was a prominent figure in Blue Island as he served on the Board of the First National Bank of Blue Island (now Great Lakes Bank) and was one of the founders of the Mount Greenwood Cemetery Association.  The property of Klein elevator was later donated for the construction of the St. Francis Hospital located in Blue Island.
 
After Paul Klenk retired from the legal practice the firm became known as "Klein and Thorpe."  Art Thorpe, a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law, returned from World War II a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge who had been educated at Knox College and served as a Second Lieutenant.  Klein had established himself as a prominent school law attorney and Thorpe was developing a municipal practice in serving the communities of Oak Park, Des Plaines and Countryside.

Klein and Thorpe took on two more partners, Newell Jenkins, a University of Chicago Law School graduate, and Constantine "Dean" Kasson, a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.  Jenkins served in WWII and in the Korean War in which he was a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart.  Prior to joining the firm, he had served as the first Village Manager of the Village of Maywood.  He had received a degree from the University of Kansas - one of the first of its kind - in local government management.  Jenkins served as the village attorney for Burr Ridge and other communities.  Kasson practiced in the areas of school law and served many corporate and commercial clients.  After Kasson left the firm, the firm became known as it is today, "Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins."
 
KTJ has several lasting achievements of which the firm takes great pride.  KTJ has been involved in the formation and founding of several school districts including S.D. 230 and S.D. 228.  KTJ was integral in the open housing initiatives in Oak Park fighting racial segregation in the 1960's and 1970's.  KTJ has been involved in the formation and founding of several library districts.  KTJ was involved in many of the major amendments to the Open Meetings Act.  KTJ attorneys have served as the Chairman of the Home Rule Attorneys Committee and have held similar positions with the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association.  In sum, the contributions of KTJ attorneys in the public sector have been significant for local governments in the State of Illinois.