Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd

Since 1935, Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd. has represented private corporations and local governments. We also provide wealth planning and business succession services in Chicago, and throughout Illinois. Our firm represents a host of local governmental entities, including school districts, local libraries, library districts, library systems, cities, villages, fire protection districts and other special districts. Attorneys at our firm provide a diverse range of general legal services to private corporations and individuals in the areas of corporate, environmental, real estate, zoning, and wealth planning and business succession law. Our clients feel confident that we are using the most effective and cost-efficient strategies to reach their objectives.

More than seven decades of advocating for local governments in Chicago
In the 1930s, Paul Klenk and Franklin Klein formed Klenk and Klein. 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 served on the board of the First National Bank of Blue Island (now Great Lakes Bank). He was also one of the founders of the Mount Greenwood Cemetery Association.

After Paul Klenk retired from the practice, the firm became known as Klein and Thorpe. Art Thorpe, a graduate of Knox College and the Northwestern University School of Law, returned from World War II as a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge and served as a second lieutenant. Klein had established himself as a prominent school law attorney, and Thorpe was developing a municipal practice serving the communities of Oak Park, Des Plaines and Countryside.

Klein and Thorpe added two other partners to the firm, 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 and was a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart. Prior to joining the firm, Jenkins served as the first village manager of the Village of Maywood. He graduated from the University of Kansas with the first of its kind degree in local government management. Jenkins served as the village attorney for Burr Ridge and other communities. Kasson?s areas of practice included education and corporate law. After Kasson left the firm, it became known by today?s name, Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd.

Meet with Chicago lawyers dedicated to assisting local governments and private

Locations	No. of Attorneys
Chicago, IL	30

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Education	3
Government and Government Relations	11
Labor & Employment	1
Litigation	4
Litigation - General (consumer)	1
Tax	1
Trusts and Estates	2