ABOUT DEREK HAAKE
Three careers in one. That’s the point.
Twenty-plus years building technology businesses. Years administering taxable estates from inside a major bank. Nearly fifteen years practicing Missouri law. Most attorneys have one career. This one has three — and that’s exactly the perspective I bring to every client matter.
WHY THIS FIRM EXISTS
A modern firm for clients who deserve serious counsel.
Haake Law Group exists because the legal profession has not kept up with how clients actually want to work — and because too many lawyers learn the substance of their practice areas only after their clients have already paid for the mistakes.
Real experience, before law school
I built businesses, worked in enterprise technology, and administered estates before I ever practiced law. That’s the substance behind the advice — not legal theory dressed up as competence.
Modern, virtual-first delivery
Most legal matters get handled faster, cheaper, and with less friction by phone, video, and secure document exchange than by demanding office visits. The firm is built around that reality.
Honest scoping and pricing
You know what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what it costs. Engagement letters disclose fees in writing. We do not pad files with unnecessary work.
Counsel, not just lawyering
Clients hire lawyers when something matters. We treat that seriously. We tell you when something is straightforward and when it is not. We tell you when you should not hire us.
MEET DEREK HAAKE
Founder. Operator. Attorney.
Licensed Missouri attorney since September 27, 2011. J.D., University of Akron School of Law (2010), with thesis examining data privacy, surveillance, and constitutional law convergence — issues now central to multiple practice areas.
Before law school, more than two decades in technology and telecommunications. After law school, years as an Estate Settlement Officer at Bank of America, administering taxable estates including a single estate exceeding $100 million in value.
Today, Haake Law Group is built around the perspective that comes from having actually done the underlying work — not just having read about it in a casebook.
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CAREER ONE
Twenty-plus years in technology.
Before law school, Derek spent more than two decades in telecommunications, enterprise software, and technology startups — building, leading, teaching, and founding.
01
Director, OptiCon
Led operations and helped direct the acquisition of Corning Cable Systems’ fiber optic monitoring division. Enterprise-scale operations work in optical network infrastructure.
02
Valor Telecom (now Windstream)
Helped create Valor Telecom, which subsequently merged into Windstream Communications — a publicly traded company serving millions of customers across the United States.
03
Enterprise data instructor
Taught CA Easytrieve programming and IBM DB2 data warehousing — enterprise data tools used by financial institutions, telecommunications carriers, and government agencies.
04
Co-founder, Campus Shift
Co-founded a technology startup. Built consumer-facing application and backend infrastructure. Handled the company’s own legal work: formation, contracts, IP, compliance.
05
Hands-on technical fluency
Software development, network architecture, data systems, system administration. I read source code, evaluate security architectures, and review data flows fluently — because I built those systems myself.
06
Why it matters now
For technology law, M&A diligence, civil rights matters involving digital evidence, and business clients in regulated industries — this background is genuinely differentiated, not borrowed.
CAREER TWO
Years administering estates from inside a major bank.
After law school, before founding Haake Law Group, Derek spent years as an Estate Settlement Officer at Bank of America — administering estates after the clients were gone.
Institutional rigor
Administered taxable estates across the full size spectrum, including a single estate valued at over $100 million. That work demanded institutional-grade documentation, accounting, and procedural rigor.
Seeing what fails
Estate documents that look fine on the day of signing reveal their problems in administration. Spending years cleaning up other people’s drafting taught me what works and what catastrophically fails.
Beneficiary dynamics
Estates surface family dynamics in ways nothing else does. Years of working with beneficiaries — well-functioning families and broken ones — informs how I draft and how I administer.
Why it matters now
Most estate planning attorneys have drafted plans but never administered them. Most estate settlement attorneys handle administration but never draft. I have done both — and that is the entire difference.
CAREER THREE
Nearly fifteen years of Missouri legal practice.
01
Licensed September 27, 2011
Active member, The Missouri Bar. Licensed since September 27, 2011 — approaching the 15-year mark in September 2026. Active practice covering multiple substantive areas.
02
J.D., University of Akron (2010)
Doctor of Jurisprudence, University of Akron School of Law, with thesis examining the convergence of constitutional law, data privacy, and government surveillance — issues now central to multiple practice areas.
03
Published scholarship
The 2010 thesis examined the Fourth Amendment, ECPA, the Stored Communications Act, and the Privacy Act — anticipating issues (predictive profiling, algorithmic surveillance, government use of telecommunications data) that have only grown more central since.
04
ARAG participating provider
Participating provider with ARAG Legal Insurance, providing covered legal services to ARAG members across multiple covered matter types. We coordinate directly with ARAG on coverage questions.
05
Federal court admissions
Currently pursuing admission to the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Will be in place for Civil Rights and federal practice matters.
06
Multi-area practice
Estate planning and settlement. Business planning and litigation. General civil litigation. Civil rights and §1983 claims. Technology and AI law. Seven practice areas — connected by the substance, not just the firm name.
HOW WE WORK
Modern delivery. Old-school substance.
Free initial consultation
20-minute phone or video conversation. You describe the matter. I tell you honestly whether and how I can help, and roughly what it should cost.
Written engagement
If we proceed, you receive a written engagement letter with clear scope, fee structure, and candid assessment. No substantive work begins without this in place.
Virtual-first execution
Most legal work gets handled faster and cheaper by phone, video, and secure document exchange. We use modern tools and reduce overhead — which keeps fees in proportion to the matter.
Honest resolution
We pursue the matter through to resolution. When the right call is to settle, we settle. When the right call is to litigate or to walk away, we tell you that honestly.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What clients ask before they hire us.
Are you a solo practitioner or a firm?+
Haake Law Group, PC is a Missouri professional corporation founded on May 1, 2026. As of now, Derek is the sole attorney. That means you work directly with the attorney you hired — not a paralegal, not an associate, not a junior partner you didn’t choose.
How does billing work?+
Most matters are billed either as flat-fee projects, hourly engagements, or monthly retainer arrangements depending on the matter type. Fees are disclosed in writing before any substantive work begins. No surprise invoices.
Do you take ARAG legal insurance?+
Yes — Haake Law Group is a participating ARAG provider. For ARAG members, many matter types may be fully or partially covered. We coordinate directly with ARAG. Contact us with your CaseAssist number.
Where are you physically located?+
Principal office: 401 Pine Street, Suite 950, St. Louis, MO 63102. The office is available by appointment, but most matters are handled virtually. We serve clients throughout Missouri.
Why so many practice areas?+
Because they are genuinely connected by my background. Estate planning and settlement share the same foundations. Business planning and litigation feed each other. Civil rights matters increasingly involve technology issues. Technology law touches business planning. It is not a generalist firm — it is a firm built around connected substantive expertise.
How quickly can we start?+
For most matters, initial consultations can typically be scheduled within a few business days. Engagement letters are typically issued within 24-48 hours of agreeing to proceed. For genuinely urgent matters, faster timelines are possible — contact us directly to discuss.
READY TO START?
Schedule a free initial consultation.
Twenty minutes. No commitment. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, what your matter actually requires, and what realistic outcomes look like.