Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren & Gottschalk

What Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren & Gottschalk does

Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren & Gottschalk, operating under the legal entity Foster, Buick & Conklin, LLC, is a privately held, full-service general practice law firm headquartered at 2040 Aberdeen Court, Sycamore, Illinois. Founded in the early 1960s through the merger of the solo practices of John A. "Jack" Leifheit and Daniel L. Cliffe, it is recognized as DeKalb County's oldest continuous law firm with over 60 years of continuous operation. The firm serves individuals, families, local businesses, banks and financial institutions, municipal and local government entities, landlords, and property managers across eight Northern Illinois counties (DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle, and Winnebago), organized into roughly 15 practice areas including agricultural law, banking law, business/corporate law, collections, criminal law, employment law, estate planning, family law, landlord/tenant law, litigation, mediation, municipal law, personal injury, real estate, and planning/zoning/subdivision law.

The firm operates a professional services business model delivered through attorney-led consultations at its single Sycamore office. Revenue is generated primarily through hourly billable engagements across most practice areas, with personal injury matters handled on a contingency fee basis (no recovery, no fee). Distribution is anchored in long-tenured community presence, bar association involvement, client and professional referrals, and a destination website (fosterbuick.com) supported by digital content (estate planning resources) and an online payment portal (Paymnt.io) that accepts credit/debit, eCheck, Venmo, and PayPal for balances and retainers.

The platform is a traditional partnership of approximately 7–8 working attorneys plus paralegal and administrative staff, applying a team-based approach in which multiple professionals collaborate on complex matters. Differentiating capabilities include a former Presiding Circuit Court Judge providing mediation, former prosecutors handling criminal and municipal work, an in-house counsel veteran covering commercial real estate and secured finance, and ancillary assets such as the Fred D. Foster Conference Center (offered free to non-profits and government) and Corporate Transparency Act filing assistance via a third-party partner. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, no external funding, and no parent company or subsidiaries; the firm is partner-owned and has no known exit trajectory.

Name

Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren & Gottschalk

Legal name

Foster, Buick & Conklin, LLC

Website

https://fosterbuick.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren & Gottschalk is a privately held, full-service general practice law firm in Sycamore, Illinois, serving individuals, businesses, banks, municipal governments, and landlords across eight Northern Illinois counties through 15+ practice areas on hourly and contingency fee models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

General Practice Law Firm Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE), Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• General practice law
• Estate planning services
• Municipal government law
• Personal injury representation
• Business corporate law

Headquarters

HQ city

Sycamore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Standard billable hours model for most legal services including litigation, business law, real estate, estate planning, municipal law, family law, criminal law, and collections. Attorneys bill by the hour with fees determined based on practice area and complexity.
2. Personal Injury - Contingency Fee: Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning a percentage of the ultimate recovery is paid for services, and if there is no recovery, there is no fee. Initial consultations are provided at no charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The firm is a full-service general practice law firm delivering legal representation across personal and business matters for individuals, families, businesses, banks, and local government entities in Northern Illinois. It sells legal services across fifteen practice areas — including agricultural, banking, business/corporate, collections, criminal, employment, estate planning, family, landlord/tenant, litigation, mediation, municipal, personal injury, real estate, and zoning/subdivision law — billed primarily on an hourly basis with contingency fees for personal injury matters.

Product overview

Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren & Gottschalk is a full-service law firm offering comprehensive legal services through multiple practice area modules. The firm operates as a general practice law firm organized around distinct legal service offerings including Agricultural Law, Banking Law, Business/Corporate Law, Collections, Criminal Law, Employment Law, Estate Planning, Family Law, Landlord/Tenant Law, Litigation, Mediation, Municipal Law, Personal Injury, Real Estate, and Zoning/Subdivision Law. The firm's services are delivered through a team approach using multiple professionals to solve client problems. Additionally, the firm offers ancillary services including a conference center for community use and Corporate Transparency Act filing assistance through a third-party partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agricultural Law Services Comprehensive agricultural law practice for farmers and farming operations covering farm real estate transactions, Section 1031 exchanges, agricultural closings, farm leases, and succession planning in Northern Illinois.
• Banking Law Services Legal representation for banks and financial institutions covering loan documentation, collections, foreclosures, replevin, complex loan structuring, and creditor's rights enforcement.
• Business Law Services Full-service business law assistance including entity formation (corporations, LLCs, partnerships), annual maintenance, document preparation, and business agreement drafting and negotiation.
• Collections Law Services Debt collection and settlement negotiation services for creditors including pre-suit demand, litigation, and post-judgment enforcement such as wage garnishments and citations to discover assets.
• Criminal Law Services Criminal defense and prosecution services covering traffic matters, ordinance violations, misdemeanors, felonies, and post-conviction proceedings.
• Employment Law Services Employment and labor law representation for public and private sector employers covering discrimination, harassment, employment contracts, wage laws, and workplace compliance.
• Estate Planning Services Estate planning services including trust-based and will-based planning, powers of attorney, probate avoidance, tax planning, asset protection, and business succession planning.
• Family Law Services Family law representation including contested and uncontested divorce, child custody, child support, maintenance, asset division, prenuptial agreements, adoption, and guardianship.
• Landlord/Tenant Law Services Legal services for residential and commercial landlords and tenants including lease disputes, evictions, lease preparation, and renter's rights for commercial leases.
• Litigation Services Full-service litigation representation in state and federal courts covering business disputes, contract issues, appellate work, arbitrations, and trial services.
• Mediation Services Mediation services for civil matters, parenting time disputes, and pre/post-decree divorce matters conducted by former presiding Circuit Court Judge John W. Countryman.
• Municipal Law Services Municipal law representation for cities, villages, townships, fire protection districts, and other local government entities including litigation and labor negotiations; firm is recognized as the preeminent local governmental law firm in DeKalb County.
• Personal Injury Law Services Personal injury representation on a contingency fee basis covering auto accidents, dog bites, medical malpractice, product liability, slip and fall, workplace accidents, and wrongful death claims; initial consultations are free.
• Real Estate Law Services Residential, commercial, industrial, and farm real estate legal services including closings, development, construction documents, condominium law, and title insurance.
• Planning, Zoning & Subdivision Law Services Land use and planning legal services including rezoning, special use permits, variances, subdivisions, and annexations for property owners and developers.
• Fred D. Foster Conference Center Conference facility available at no cost to non-profit or government entities, featuring seating for 22, WiFi, Smartboard, and a sound system.
• Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Filing Assistance Assistance with Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting to FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act, offered in partnership with a third-party filing service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60 years of continuous operation as DeKalb County's oldest law firm
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Olive + Ash (website development)minorOthersThe firm's website was created by Olive + Ash design studio, which also manages the site through Olive Street Design.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LegalZoom: Large-scale online legal services platform that competes in adjacent consumer-facing practice areas such as estate planning, business formation, and family law. Relevant as a broader incumbent that pressures traditional regional firms on price and convenience for standardized legal work.

Direct peers

• Momkus McCluskey Roberts LLC: Illinois-based law firm with a multi-disciplinary general practice covering business, real estate, litigation, estate planning, and family law. Similar in scope to Foster Buick's broad practice model with comparable focus on serving local business clients and individuals.
• SmithAmundsen LLC: Midwest regional law firm serving Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin with a similarly broad practice mix including business, litigation, real estate, banking, and estate planning. Closely comparable to Foster Buick's diversified general practice model but operating at a larger scale.
• Pretzel & Stouffer, Chartered: Regional Illinois law firm providing general civil practice including litigation, real estate, corporate, and banking law. Comparable in serving institutional and business clients across Northern Illinois with a similar practitioner-driven model.
• Heyl Royster Voelker & Allen: Mid-sized Illinois-based law firm with offices across the state (Peoria, Chicago, Rockford, Edwardsville) offering a comparable multi-practice general practice model that includes litigation, corporate, real estate, and municipal-adjacent work. Comparable in regional scope and breadth, though larger in headcount and geography.
• Barash & Everett, LLC: Northern Illinois full-service law firm based in DeKalb County serving individuals, families, and businesses with practice areas including estate planning, family law, real estate, and personal injury. Direct local competitor in the same Sycamore/DeKalb market with overlapping practice areas.
• Krigel & Krigel PC: Smaller Illinois-based general practice firm with a comparable full-service model including personal injury, family law, real estate, and estate planning. Similar in size, regional scope, and reliance on community-based client relationships.
• Nyhan Bambrick Kinzie & Lowry PC: Mid-sized Illinois law firm with a broad civil practice spanning business, real estate, estate planning, and litigation. Similar in serving a mix of individual and institutional clients with a comparable practitioner partnership structure.
• Lavelle Law Ltd: Suburban Chicago-area general practice firm serving individuals and businesses with comparable practice areas including real estate, estate planning, family law, and business law. Similar in size, geographic scope (suburban Illinois counties), and full-service model.

Others

• Illinois State Bar Association: Mandatory bar association for Illinois attorneys that provides member services, referrals, and continuing education. Foster Buick attorneys are active members, making this an enabling/ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fosterbuick
• Facebookfacebook.com/FosterBuick

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren & Gottschalk