Real Estate

Education

• Loyola University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois
  – Juris Doctorate (2013)
• Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
  – B.A., Cum laude – Psychology (2004)

Associations & Memberships

• American Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
  • Trusts and Estates Section Council, Member 2014-2017
• DuPage Bar Association
• Chicago Bar Association

Awards and Recognitions

• The Loyola University International Law Review
  • Associate Editor
• Loyola Honors at Entrance Scholarship

Admissions

• Illinois
• Illinois Supreme Court – 2013
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois – 2011

Kathryn C. Rolewick is a Director in the Trusts and Estates Practice Area, focusing her practice primarily on advising individuals, families, and business owners on estate planning objectives and asset protection strategies.

Kathryn counsels multiple generations of family business owners on wealth transfers, succession planning, and corporate planning. Kathryn plans for income tax, federal estate tax, state estate tax, gift tax and generation skipping tax consequences, utilizing LLCs, revocable trusts and a variety of irrevocable trusts.

From simple wills and trusts to complex plans, Kathryn enjoys advising a variety of clients on the tools available to preserve, grow, and pass on their wealth. Kathryn also represents her clients in trust and estate administration, probate, business formation, corporate maintenance, and real estate.

Prior to joining Huck Bouma, Kathryn was an associate at the Wheaton law firm of Rolewick & Gutzke P.C., the firm founded by her father, David Rolewick. Before transitioning to private practice, Kathryn worked in high net worth trust administration at U.S. Trust, now Bank of America Private Bank.

Kathryn lives in the western suburbs with her husband and two sons. Kathryn enjoys traveling, photography, and outdoor activities, especially running.

Education

• Chicago-Kent College of Law – Illinois Institute of Technology,
  Chicago, Illinois
  – Juris Doctorate
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
   Champaign, Illinois

Associations & Memberships

• DuPage County Bar Association
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)

Admissions

• Illinois

Thomas J. Homer is a former state lawmaker, appellate court judge, and prosecutor with over 40 years of legal experience.

He is a highly experienced attorney in the Trusts and Estates Department, focusing his practice principally on Wealth Transfer and Estate Planning and Estate, Trust Administration real estate and mediation.

Thomas comes to us most recently from the The Homer Law Firm, PC, where he served as Founding Attorney. He provided high-quality services including all sections of asset protection, fundamental estate planning, elder law, and business succession.

Tom Homer began his legal career in 1974 as a prosecutor. He served two terms as the Fulton County Attorney and six terms as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.

Tom was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1996. From 2004 to 2014, he served as ethics advisor to the Illinois General Assembly. He has been recognized by the Illinois General Assembly for his integrity and ability (House Joint Resolution 142, 95th General Assembly) and was featured in an article in the Naperville Sun.

In March, 2017, Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Tom to the Illinois Board of Examiners an organization that protects Illinois citizens’ interest by the examination and certification of candidates who seek Certified Public Account (CPA) licensure in the state.

Education

• Northern Illinois University College of Law,
  DeKalb, Illinois – 2016
  – Juris Doctorate
• University of Mississippi,
  University, MS
  – B.S. – Criminal Justice (2012)
  — B.A. – Political Science (2012)
  –Minor in English (2013)
  –Chancellor’s Honor Roll

Associations & Memberships

• DuPage County Bar Association

Admissions

• Illinois

Sarah W. Kunst is an Associate in the Trusts and Estates and Real Estate Practice Groups.

Sarah comes to us most recently from The Homer Law Firm, where she spent most of her time working on real estate transactions and probate administration.

She grew up in the small town of Middletown, Iowa and found her collegiate home in Ole Miss, in the same region as her birthplace, Memphis, Tennessee.

Sarah graduated from The University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (2012) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a minor in English (2013); she also earned a place on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll while working on her degrees.

She then returned to the Chicagoland area and went on to graduate from Northern Illinois University College of Law in May 2016.

During law school, Sarah participated in mock trial and worked as a law clerk where she performed a plethora of tasks related to family, criminal, and traffic law cases.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys shopping, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family. One of Sarah’s greatest joys comes from being a doting dog mom to her pride and joy, Sadie Kay, a lab mix she adopted while completing her undergrad degrees in Oxford, Mississippi.

Education

• Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law
  Chicago, Illinois, 2007
  Juris Doctor (with honors)
• University of Wisconsin
  Madison, Wisconsin, 2002
  B.S. (graduated with Distinction)

Associations & Memberships

• Du Page County Bar Association
  Estate Planning, Probate sections
• DuPage County Estate Planning Council
• Illinois State Bar Association
  Trusts & Estates section
  Real Property section

Admissions

• Illinois
• United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Derek M. Johnson is a Director in the Estate Planning Department, focusing in the areas of Wealth Transfer and Estate/Trust Planning, Probate and Trust Administration, Estate and Gift Taxation, Business Organizations and Acquisitions, Real Estate Transactions, and Contract Review and Negotiations.

Derek began his legal career working on a wide range of transactional and litigation matters, including trusts and estate planning, business transactions and litigation, general commercial litigation, and commercial and residential real estate transactions and litigation. As time passed, Derek realized his passion lay in the transactional practice areas of trust and estate planning and administration, corporate law, real estate, and other related areas in which he currently serves his individual and business owner clients. Not one to discount his other legal experience, Derek also relies on the skills he learned as a former litigator in developing sound strategies for representing his clients with an eye toward careful legal drafting and assisting clients in anticipating and avoiding disputes.

Derek was raised in Wheaton and graduated from Wheaton-Warrenville South High School. In 2017, Derek returned to live in Wheaton with his wife, Jami, and their two children. In his free time, Derek enjoys spending time with his family and friends, exercising, reading, and exploring new music. Derek looks forward to meeting and working with you to accomplish your goals.

Representative Published Works
• Accessing a Deceased Loved One’s E-mail and Other “Digital Assets” (Jan. 30, 2019).
Link: https://www.oakbrookestateplanning.com/articles/accessing-a-deceased-loved-ones-e-mail-and-other-digital-assets
• Derek M. Johnson, Debts, Secret Tax Liens, and Other Estate Traps, Illinois Bar Journal, Vol. 106, No. 10 (Oct. 2018).
Link: https://www.oakbrookestateplanning.com/articles/debts-secret-tax-liens-and-other-estate-traps
• Derek M. Johnson, Income Tax Consequences for Probate Estates When Resolving Claims for Less Than the Full Amount,
Illinois State Bar Association, Trusts & Estates Section Newsletter, Vol. 65, No. 3 (Sept. 2018).
Link: https://www.oakbrookestateplanning.com/articles/income-tax-consequences-of-claims-against-probate-estates
• Kimberly S. Coogan, Carrie M. Buddingh & Derek M. Johnson, To Port . . .Or Not To Port?,
DCBA Brief, Vol. 28, Issue 10 (June 2016)
• Derek M. Johnson, Illinois’ Health Care Agency Laws: A Hierarchical Game Of Who’s On First,   DCBA Brief, Vol. 25, Issue 6 (March 2013)

Education

• University of  Notre Dame Law School, South Bend, Indiana, 1974
  – J.D.
• St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1969
  – B.A., History

Associations & Memberships

• DuPage County Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
• Rotary Club of Lombard
  –Board Member
  –Director of International Services
• Montini Catholic High School
  – Member, Board of Directors
• Economic Development Committee, Village of Lombard
• Elmhurst Hospital, Board of Governors
• Lombard Area Chamber of Commerce
  Past President

Awards and Recognitions

• Declaration and Recognition of Service,
  entered in U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Record, February 5, 2018
• Village of Lombard
  Man of the Year (2001)
  Senior Man of the Year (2017)

Admissions

• Illinois

Dennis J. McNicholas, is a Director in the Trusts & Estates and the Real Estate Departments, focusing his practice principally in the areas of estate planning, probate proceedings, guardianship, real estate and mediation.

Dennis comes to Huck Bouma most recently from the law firm of Dennis J. McNicholas, Ltd. where he had devoted his legal career to Estate Planning, Decedent’s Estates, Guardianship Estates, Elder Law, Elder Mediation, Real Estate, Mediation of Family Disputes and other related areas.

As for me personally, I am married to the love of my life, Karin, for 48 years this year. Karin is a licensed clinical social worker for over 40 years and has dedicated her life to counseling her clients. I do tease her when I say that she still has not been able to diagnose me.

We have three adult children and six grandchildren all of whom live within 40 minutes of our home.

After spending the first four years of my career from 1974-1978 working as a lawyer in downtown Chicago, I decided to start my own practice in the Lombard area so as to be more available to my wife and children. I wanted to be a much more integral part of our children’s activities as they grew up. I have reaped untold benefits from that decision and the bonding with my children and grandchildren that has resulted. I say that young children and grandchildren are like wet cement in which we make impressions that last their entire lives. I dedicated myself to making those impressions the most positive and beneficial as they could be. I now number our three adult children among my best friends.

Armed with the love and support of my nuclear family, extended family, friends and clients, I have tried over the course of my professional career to integrate my passion to serve others into my personal life as an attorney. In that regard, I have

• served as a member of The Board of Governors at Elmhurst Hospital for 17 years;
• served as a Board Member and Director of International Services for The Rotary Club of Lombard which I have belonged to for approximately 35-years.
• served as a past President of The Lombard Area Chamber of Commerce, and The Economic Community Development Committee for the Village of Lombard for over 30-years.
• served as a member of The Montini Catholic High School Board for over 25 years.
• been selected as Man of the Year (2001) and Senior Man of the Year (2017) for the Village of Lombard.
• published a memoir entitled “God Called Collect from Cleveland”, in addition to being the subject of an article in the December 6, 2017 DuPage County Daily Herald entitled “Lombard Man Aims to Make the Most of His Days”.
• been contacted by the Honorable Peter J. Roskam in early 2018 and was presented with a Declaration and Recognition of Service which was read into The Federal Congressional Record on February 5, 2018.

Publications – Books & Articles
“God Called Collect from Cleveland”, McNicholas (2017).

“Lombard Man Aims to Make the Most of His Days”, published in the DuPage County Daily Herald, December 3, 2017.

“Could He Have a More Adventurous Life?”, published in Guideposts Magazine: Living Longer, Living Better; August 24, 2017. https://www.guideposts.org/better-living/health-and-wellness/living-longer-living-better/could-he-have-a-more-adventurous-life and

“Dennis McNicholas on the Benefits of Taking Chances Later in Life”, Guideposts Magazine: Living Longer, Living Better; September, 2017. https://www.guideposts.org/better-living/health-and-wellness/living-longer-living-better/dennis-mcnicholas-on-the-benefits-of

Education

• Boston College Law School, Newton, MA
  Juris Doctor, 1991
• University of Massachusetts at Amherst
  Amherst, MA
  Major: Political Science (BA)

Associations & Memberships

• DuPage County Bar Association

Admissions

• Illinois

Brian R. Connors is a Director at Huck Bouma. Brian has extensive experience leading and closing a wide array of commercial real estate, lending and business transactions. Prior to joining Huck Bouma, Brian served for more than 20 years as senior and assistant corporate counsel for a commercial real estate investment company and for national and regional commercial banks in the Chicagoland area. He also practiced law at large and midsized law firms in Boston, Massachusetts.

Brian’s experience in commercial real estate transactions includes acquisitions and dispositions, real estate finance and representing both landlords and tenants in the negotiation of commercial leases. Brian is highly skilled in structuring, documenting and negotiating commercial finance transactions, including asset-based and working capital loans, mortgage and construction loans and acquisition financings.

Brian’s immersion in the distinct business pressures of each organization where he served as in-house counsel has instilled the ability to develop practical solutions and creative approaches to move transactions forward without compromising long-term client goals.

Brian is admitted to practice in Illinois. He received his law degree in 1991 from Boston College Law School and his B.A. in political science in 1988 from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Education

• Chicago-Kent College of Law,
  Juris Doctor, cum laude
• Elmhurst University
  BA Psychology, summa cum laude

Associations & Memberships

• Illinois State Bar Association
• Du Page County Bar Association
• Chicago Bar Association

Admissions

• Illinois
• US District Court, Northern District, Illinois

Alexandra Prejzner is an Associate attorney in Huck Bouma’s litigation practice group. Alexandra represents businesses and individuals on a variety of complex civil litigation matters. Alexandra has experience in cases involving real estate, including evictions, partition actions, lease disputes, and easement related matters. Alexandra also handles cases regarding breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, probate and trust disputes, disputes among shareholders, and other commercial litigation matters.

As a point of interest, Alexandra is an adjunct professor at Elmhurst University and teaches mock trial for undergraduate students. She also enjoys coaching students in undergraduate and law school moot court programs.

Education

• DePaul College of Law, J.D.
• University of Illinois, B.A.

Admissions, Associations & Memberships

• Illinois

Memberships

• DuPage County Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association Member

Anastasia Xinos is a Director in the Life and Legacy Planning Group, concentrating her practice in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, probate, guardianship and real estate, both residential and commercial. Anastasia’s experience includes helping individuals and families plan to transfer wealth, including wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts and other estate planning tools, as well as helping families after their loved ones pass.

A graduate of DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois, Anastasia received her Juris Doctor in May 2006. During her law school career, Anastasia co-founded and was president of the Hellenic Law Society from 2004-2005 and vice president 2005-2006. She also received the honors of being on the Dean’s list and awards for the highest marks in two of her classes. Anastasia received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Political Science, and a minor in German, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Anastasia is a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association and DuPage County Bar Association. She has mentored several younger attorneys through the DuPage County Bar Association Mentor/Mentee program and enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills with new attorneys.

Prior to joining Huck Bouma, Anastasia worked at Gardiner Koch Weisberg & Wrona in Naperville and Chicago, and the Law Offices of Rogers and Associates, LLC, in Naperville.

Anastasia speaks Greek fluently, as it is her first language, and is also proficient in spoken German. She lives in Woodridge, with her husband, and enjoys spending her free time with her family and reading.

Education

• IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law, J. D. with distinction, 1973
  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, B.A., English Literature

Associations & Memberships

• Illinois State Bar Association
  Member – Real Estate Law Section Council (Chairman 1993-94)
  Chair – Real Estate Law Section Council, 2022-2023
• DuPage County Bar Association
  Member, Section Council, Business Law and Practice Section
• Chicago Bar Association
  Board of Managers (1983-85)
  Chairman, Young Lawyers Section (1982-83)
  Member and former Chairman, Herman Kogan Media Awards Committee
• American Bar Association
• Chicago Mortgage Attorneys Association

Admissions

• State of Illinois
  U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• State of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

BRUNO W. TABIS, JR. joined Huck Bouma in 2018, after previously practicing in Chicago for nearly 40 years. Bruno serves as general counsel for closely held businesses, concentrating on the formation and maintenance of corporations and LLCs, mergers and acquisitions, employment matters, contract negotiations and UCC issues, as well as consulting and advising the principals on general business matters.

His commercial real estate practice includes purchases and sales, condominium development and conversions, project development and construction contracting, leasing, property management and environmental compliance, permitting and remediation.

Bruno counsels business owners and individuals on estate and succession planning, preparation of Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney, and is experienced in probate proceedings and trust and estate management and administration.
He also practices in the areas of financial institutions and finance, representing both banks and borrowers in loan documentation, mortgage and real estate financing, UCC financing, workouts, forbearances, renegotiations and commercial short sales.

Currently residing in the Stonebridge area of Aurora, Bruno had lived in Wheaton for 35 years, where he continues to be active in the community. He was a founding member and on the original board of directors for the New 200 Foundation and was a long-time member of St. Paul Lutheran Church where he served as President. His wife, Stacie Pierce, teaches English at Wheaton-Warrenville South High School.

Bruno has been rated AV “Preeminent”by Martindale-Hubbell and named to Chicago’s Top Rated Lawyers.

Bruno is an accomplished technical, deep wreck SCUBA diver. He has explored numerous Lake Michigan shipwrecks, including the 370 foot deep Carl D. Bradley, a Great Lakes freighter and Edmund Fitzgerald look-alike which also broke up in a November storm.

Speaking Engagements/Presentations

• DuPage County Bar Association, Business Law MCLE Meeting, “Common Provisions Affecting Transferability of Ownership Interests in Closely Held Corporations and LLCs,” May 14, 2019.
• Illinois State Bar Association “Legislative Update,” Real Estate Law Update 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 “Listing Agreements/Engagement Letters/Disclosure Forms,” Residential Real Estate Transactions from Listing to Closing, 2015
• Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education “Estate Planning with Real Estate”; 11th Annual Real Estate Short Course, 2015 “Statutory Update”; 10th Annual Real Estate Short Course, 2014
• DuPage County Bar Association “Hot TODIs and Other Real Estate Cures,” Joint Presentation of Estate Planning and Probate Law and Practice Real Estate Law and Practice Sections, 2014
• West Suburban Illini Alumni Association “Legal Considerations in Business Entity Formation and Maintenance,” 2014
• LORMAN Education Seminars-CLE presenter on finance, title insurance, survey, environmental and real estate matters at multiple seminars.
• Omni Juris Banking Seminar, Annecy, France 1998-presenter Impact of Environmental Law on American Banks.
• Chicago Bar Association, Kane County Bar Association and other organizations -Presenter on environmental, bank lending and real estate matters at multiple seminars.
• Instructor, IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law, Real Estate Document Drafting (1978-79).

Publications

• “Illinois Totten Trust: The Rights of Legal Representative of a Beneficiary Who Predeceases the Trustee”, Chicago- Kent Law Review: Vol 48, Iss. 1, reviewed in American Bar Association Journal , vol. 58, August, 1972, p. 876
• ”Totten Trusts Tottering in Illinois” resulting in statutory revision of statute, now incorporated into “Illinois Trust and Payable on Death Accounts Act”, 205 ILCS 625/1 et seq.
• “Illinois Conservator’s Right to Invade Joint Savings Account”
• Chicago- Kent Law Review, vol. 48, Iss. 2, most recently cited by Wisconsin Supreme Court in Johnnie Russ vs. Elliott Russ(2007), 2007 WI 83, 302 Wisc 2d 264, 734 N.W. 2d 874

Community Service

• Wheaton Lions Club .NEW 200 Foundation (now Student Excellence Foundation), founding member and original board member
• St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wheaton, Illinois
• Coordinated Advice and Referral Programs for Legal Services (CARPLS), Chicago, Illinois Advisory Board Founding member, original board of directors

Education

• University of Kansas School of Law, Lawrence, Kansas, 1969
  JD
• The University of Kansas, 1971
  M.B.A.
• University of Kansas, 1964
  B.A., Major: Economics

Associations & Memberships

• DuPage County Bar Association
• Village of Glen Ellyn, 1998 – 2003 Trustee
• Village of Glen Ellyn, Plan Commission Vice Chair
• University of Kansas Law School
  Board of Governors (2020-2024)
  Member: KU Chancellor’s Club
  Alumni Assn President’s Club

Admissions

• Illinois

Jay B. Strayer focuses his legal practice on corporate and commercial law, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions. Jay also counsels individuals and business owners in their estate planning, probate, and commercial real estate transactional needs.
Jay was a principal in the law firm of Fewkes Wentz & Strayer in Naperville, Illinois until his firm merged with Huck Bouma in 2007. Prior to entering the private practice of law, Jay was Assistant General Counsel of McGraw-Edison Company, where he directed the activities of the corporate legal staff. Jay was also General Counsel and Secretary of Atcor, Inc., a publicly traded manufacturer and distributor of steel conduit pipe and related products. Jay was also Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of The Jepson Corporation, a diversified holding company that operated ten manufacturing subsidiaries.

Jay is a retired U.S. Naval Reserve Officer (Commander), specializing in defense logistics and contract administration, and served as Commanding Officer of two Naval Reserve Units. He has served his community as a trustee of the Village of Glen Ellyn from 1998-2003, and currently is Vice Chair of the Plan Commission. Jay and his family are longtime residents of Glen Ellyn.

Beginning in 2020, Jay has been appointed to a four year term on the Board of Governors of the University of Kansas Law School.