John N. Hauk

John Hauk is a founding partner of the firm. His practice focuses on representing public bodies, property owners, agricultural interests, and individuals in complex legal matters throughout Illinois.

John advices and represents multiple special districts, including drainage districts and public water districts located throughout the Mississippi and Illinois River systems and beyond. In that role, he advises district commissioners and trustees on governance matters, statutory compliance, FOIA, the Open Meetings Act, contractual issues, public bidding requirements, regulatory matters, employee matters, assessments, annexations, property acquisition, right-of-way issues, USACE matters. He also represents districts with respect to their litigation needs in disputes involving landowners, drainage and levee improvements, assessment modifcations, easements, construction projects, and related matters.

His real estate practice includes representing buyers and sellers in commercial and agricultural real estate transactions, as well as real estate auctions. He regularly prepares and negotiates agricultural leases, hunting leases, easements, access agreements, and other instruments affecting real property rights. Additionally, he assists landowners regarding the various issues that might arise regarding Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment and contracts, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) contracts, logging and tree harvest, and water use.

John’s estate planning practice focuses on taxable Illinois estates, complex wealth transfer strategies, and succession planning for agricultural landowners and family farming operations. He assists clients with the preparation of revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, transfer-on-death instruments, premarital and postmarital (nuptial) agreements healthcare directives, and business succession documents designed to preserve family assets and accomplish long-term planning objectives. John regularly advises farm families, landowners, and agricultural business owners on strategies to reduce estate tax exposure, transition farming operations between generations, preserve family farmland, equalize inheritances among heirs, and address the unique legal and financial considerations associated with agricultural assets.

John’s litigation practice includes disputes involving adverse possession claims, trespess, nuisance, partition actions, estate and probate disputes, boundary line disagreements, tree-cutting disputes, easement rights, access disputes, drainage issues, and other conflicts affecting real property. He also represents agricultural clients in disputes involving farming operations, dissolution of farm partnerships, land use, lease agreements, and other complex claims. Additionally, he represents clients in appeals related to these matters.

Areas of Practice
Representation of Special Municipal Districts: Drainage and Levee Districts; Public Water Districts
Real Estate: Litigation and Transactions
Complex Litigation
Taxable Estate Planning & Wealth Preservation

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