Professional Service With A Personal Touch

Meet Our Legal Team

Gilbert X. Drendel Jr.

Gilbert Drendel is our mentor and primogenitor; he blazed the trails, lead the way, put the law firm on the map and set it as a beacon on a hill. We naturally hold him in high esteem, and we are not the only ones. A local leader, community servant, peacemaker, trendsetter, the “professor” and author of local laws and rules by which the legal tribe practice their professional craft, Gib Drendel is enjoying a well-earned retirement, displaying his skills in manuscripts and books that are the fruits of his new labor tracing ancient family lineages, traveling the country and the world, and simply enjoying life. We could not have been the people we are, the law firm we have become, without his steady, diligent, patient and wise counsel and sterling example. Every once in a while we still lure him from his current paths to lend a hand or simply spend some time with us. Follow the link or click on the photo for Gib Drendel’s impressive history.

Kevin G. Drendel

No one has benefited more from Gib Drendel’s leadership than Kevin Drendel, having lived under the same roof for 18 years. It only took him six years after graduating college to demonstrate that the apple does not fall far from the tree by going to law school and graduating second in his class. There are not many father/son presidents of the oldest bar association in the State of Illinois, going back to Abe Lincoln’s circuit-riding days. Kevin followed the same municipal law trail as his father but strayed down the path of estate planning, business, corporate and other “transactional” law. A little obsessed with Olympic wrestling and all things piscatorial, he still manages to spend almost as much time in the office as our marathon man (see below). If Kevin can’t settle a matter by agreement, he usually turns the matter over to one of the litigators in the office, much-preferring estate planning, business and corporate law, real estate and municipal work. Follow the link or click on the photo for the nitty-gritty details of Kevin Drendel’s background.

Carolyn D. Jansons

From singing the national anthem in a stadium to municipal board/council meetings to the courtroom, Carolyn Jansons is comfortable in her own skin in any setting. She cleverly hides her self-proclaimed nerdy background and high intellectual performance (7th in her law school class) with her charming personality. Not a lawyer or judge in the area does not know or know of Carolyn. Carolyn’s ability to adapt serves her well in court, in negotiations, in family law settings and in the corporate or municipal board room. She is the pretty local prosecutor with whom you do not want to mess. She is a local bar leader, and we do not mean tavern. She is the life of a party and also has the coolest new cellphones, even before they hit market, thanks to her husband, the creator of those devices. If she is not in family court, she is usually in another courtroom or a municipal board/council room. She likes to be where the action is, and we are not about to get in her way. Follow the link or click on the photo for the official litany of accomplishments and experience.

Mark. D. Brent

Mark Brent is our warrior/poet. With a quick wit and a way with words, he is light on his verbal feet in the courtroom. Mark’s poetry major degree belies the boxing and gridiron background. The boxing gloves from his youth were traded for the words he wields with similar aplomb in court. His candid, no-nonsense approach to life can be off-putting, especially for opposing attorneys, but the gruff exterior covers a soft heart. Mark handles more pro bono cases than anyone else in the office. With his focus on family law, he is the knight in shining armor for many a damsel in distress. Mark also proves that the apple does not fall far from the tree, as he commands similar authority in the courtroom as his father, the former Aurora police chief, did in the police station. Mark is a survivor of the sweatshop, Chicago litigation mill where he honed his litigation skills to a razor edge. Mark is also our most prolific published author. Follow the link or click on the photo for the scorecard on Mark Brent.

Roman J. Seckel

Only love would lead a Packers fan from the north woods to the Chicago suburbs – that and the lure of a law degree. Roman Seckel juggled both with skill culminating in his law school graduation, accepting a job with us and getting married – all within a 14-day period! Roman’s quiet confidence is backed up by high school valedictorian, college honors and law school honors (top 8%) performances and passing both the Illinois and Wisconsin bars in one whack. He added the Lincoln Writing Award for the Illinois Bar Journal and Kane County Outstanding New Lawyer Award in 2010 for good measure. We thank Ann for keeping him humble. Listening is an asset for a family law attorney, but his interest in political science puts Roman in the thick of our local governmental work. That does not prevent him from doing creditor collections, landlord evictions and bank foreclosures or from doing pro bono work for which he has been recognized statewide. Follow the link or click on the photo for Roman Seckel’s official bio.

Lawrence W. Lobb

Only a marathon and ultra-marathon runner is crazy enough and has the endurance to handle short sales and loan modifications with big banks. That is Lawrence W. Lobb. On any given night, the last car in the parking lot is owned by Larry Lobb. If he has not slipped out of the office to run the trails along the Fox River before heading home, he is tying up loose ends from the day or preparing for tomorrow. Larry takes on the big banks with the same dogged determination and endurance that drive him to run a marathon one weekend and an ultra-marathon (50 miles) the next weekend over rough terrain in the wind and weather. Coming out of corporate America (GM), he landed on main street a seasoned veteran of real estate transactions. Larry rounds out the third member of our group to be named the Kane County Bar Association Outstanding New Lawyer (2011). The fact that he garnered that acclaim before he joined our firm will not stop us from claiming it. Aside from running down big banks, Larry handles bankruptcy, real estate, general litigation and estate planning. Follow the link or click on the photo for the background details for Larry Lobb.

Edward J. Boula III

Edward J. Boula III comes to us via Jacksonville, Illinois, where he settled right out of law school with a large, well-known firm. We like to think he has moved up in the world to join our humble firm, which we can say without blushing because north is certainly “up.” Ed near the top of his law school class and was the Lead Article Editor for the NIU Journal of Law. Ed even managed to get his own article published. (Maybe he knew someone?) Ed hits the ground running for us, jumping right in with sleeves rolled up, ready to rumble. Follow the link or click on the photo for Ed Boula’s history and background.

Contact Us

If you are a glutton for punishment, or just plain curious, check out our breaking news where we take a little space to brag about the things our group has accomplished. To speak with us about any of your legal needs, call 630-523-0543 or fill out our online contact form.