OUR PRACTICE
Seven practice areas. One connected substance.
Haake Law Group serves Missouri clients across estate planning, business law, civil litigation, civil rights, and technology law. These are not random offerings — they are connected by a single attorney’s career across technology, banking, and law. Each practice area draws on real underlying experience.
WHY MULTIPLE AREAS
Connected practice areas, not random offerings.
Most multi-practice firms are collections of unrelated specialists. Haake Law Group is built differently — every practice area connects through the founder’s background in technology, banking, and law. The substance reinforces itself.
Estate & business connect
Business succession planning is estate planning. Closely-held business interests are estate assets. Buy-sell agreements are estate documents. Having both practice areas under one roof prevents the typical handoff failures.
Technology touches everything
Modern business law, civil rights, and even estate planning increasingly involve technology questions. The technology law expertise informs the rest — not just as a separate practice but as substantive depth across areas.
Civil rights uses tech fluency
Modern §1983 claims involve digital evidence, body cameras, facial recognition, automated systems. Technology fluency is not optional — it is foundational. We bring it where most firms cannot.
Litigation informs planning
Seeing what fails in litigation teaches you what to draft. Years administering estates teaches you how to plan them. The practice areas reinforce each other — better outcomes come from connected substance.
PRACTICE AREAS
Choose the area that fits your matter.
Each practice area page covers what we handle, how we work, our process, fees, and common questions. Not sure which area fits your situation? Schedule a free consultation and we will tell you honestly.
Estate Planning
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives. Custom drafted by an attorney who has spent years administering estates. No template-driven plans.
Learn More →Estate Settlement
Probate administration. Trust administration. Beneficiary representation. Contested estates. From small matters to complex multi-jurisdictional administrations.
Learn More →Business Planning
Formation, operating agreements, contracts, M&A. Counsel from someone who founded a startup, ran technology operations, and lived the legal questions firsthand.
Learn More →Business Litigation
Contract disputes. Partnership conflicts. Vendor and customer claims. Strategic litigation that asks what each filing actually buys our client — not theater.
Learn More →General Litigation
Civil disputes for individuals and small businesses. Consumer claims. Real estate and neighbor disputes. Insurance bad faith. Timeshare matters. Privacy claims.
Learn More →Civil Rights & §1983
Constitutional violations by police and government actors. Fourth and First Amendment claims. Due process. Built on years of scholarship in this area.
Learn More →Technology & AI Law
HIPAA compliance. Data privacy. AI governance. SaaS and technology contracts. From a lawyer who built technology businesses for 20 years before law school.
Learn More →MEET DEREK HAAKE
One attorney. Connected expertise. Real experience.
Licensed Missouri attorney since September 27, 2011. J.D., University of Akron School of Law (2010), with thesis on data privacy and constitutional law convergence — issues now central to multiple practice areas.
Pre-law: 20+ years in telecommunications and technology including OptiCon (Corning fiber optic acquisition), Valor Telecom (now Windstream), enterprise data instruction, and a co-founded technology startup.
Post-law: years as Estate Settlement Officer at Bank of America, administering taxable estates including a single estate exceeding $100 million in value.
Read Full Bio
HOW WE WORK
Modern delivery. Honest scoping. Real counsel.
Virtual-first practice
Most legal matters get handled faster and cheaper by phone, video, and secure document exchange than by demanding office visits. We use modern tools throughout.
Transparent fees
Flat fees for most estate and transactional work. Hourly with written estimates for litigation. Monthly retainers for ongoing business counsel. All disclosed before substantive work begins.
Direct attorney contact
You work with Derek directly. Not a paralegal pretending to be an attorney. Not an associate three years out of law school. The lawyer you hire is the lawyer doing your work.
We will tell you no
Some matters genuinely should not be pursued. Some matters need a specialist we do not have. We tell you that at the consultation. Saving you a year of bills is worth more than the engagement fee.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What clients ask before choosing a practice area.
How do I know which practice area applies to my matter?+
Many matters span multiple areas. An estate dispute involves estate settlement AND litigation. A breach of contract by a vendor involves business law AND civil litigation. We sort that out in the initial consultation — you do not need to figure out the category yourself.
Can I use ARAG legal insurance?+
For most ARAG-covered matter types — including estate planning, certain civil litigation, and some business matters — yes. We coordinate directly with ARAG. Contact us with your CaseAssist number for verification.
Do you handle criminal cases?+
No. Haake Law Group does not handle criminal defense. If you are facing criminal charges, we can refer you to attorneys who do this work well.
What if my matter is genuinely outside your expertise?+
We tell you honestly. Some matters need true specialists (complex tax planning, securities work, large M&A, criminal defense). We refer to attorneys we trust when that is the right answer.
Where are you located?+
Principal office: 401 Pine Street, Suite 950, St. Louis, MO 63102. By appointment only. We serve clients throughout Missouri — most matters are handled virtually.
How quickly can we start?+
Initial consultations are typically scheduled within a few business days. Engagement letters issue within 24-48 hours of agreeing to proceed. For genuinely urgent matters, faster is possible — contact us directly.
NOT SURE WHICH AREA APPLIES?
Schedule a free initial consultation.
Twenty minutes. No commitment. We will tell you which area fits your matter — or whether the matter is something we cannot help with and you should look elsewhere.