Mr. Krentz practices in the areas of personal injury & wrongful death and general & commercial litigation. He has been recognized by his peers as among the top five percent of all Illinois lawyers in personal injury litigation ("Leading Lawyers") He has received the highest rating for skill and integrity by his peers. He has been a leader among Illinois lawyers in representing the victims of sexual abuse and has obtained on their behalf multi-million dollars in settlement. He also has extensive experience in such areas of general litigation as eminent domain on behalf of owners and the government where he has obtained the highest per-acre verdict in Kane County history. He is a skilled trial lawyer with expertise in a broad range of litigation.
Bar Admission: He was admitted to the practice of law in Illinois in 1983. He is also admitted to the Federal Trial Bar in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Education: He graduated from Plano High School in 1976. He received his undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University in 1980 and his law degree from Valparaiso University Law School in 1983.
Honors: He has received the highest rating from his peers for skill and integrity with an A-V designation by Martindale Hubble. He has been named one of the Illinois Leading American Attorneys by his peers. He has been named a "Leading Lawyer" in Personal Injury by survey of his peers, a distinction earned by fewer than 5% of all lawyers to practice in the state. Mr. Krentz was inducted as an inaugural member of the Plano High School Hall of Fame.
Teaching: He has been a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education programs sponsored by the Kane County Bar Association and the DuPage County Bar Association on issues pertaining to personal injury, wrongful death litigation and civil practice. He is a certified mediator in DuPage County.
Significant Cases:
- Sexual Abuse Litigation: Obtained the highest total for cumulative settlements ($24 million) in suburban Chicago on behalf of sexually abused children.
- City of Aurora v Whilden: Obtained the highest per-acre verdict in Kane County history for a property owner in a condemnation case.
- Eichler v Plitt Theater, Inc. (2d Dist. 1988) 167 Ill. App. 3d 685, 521 N.E.2d. 1196: Overturned summary judgment in slip-and-fall case on grounds there was a jury question concerning whether the parking lot and building owners were negligent in removing ice.
Professional Associations: He is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ILTLA), the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), the Kane County Bar Association (KCBA), the DeKalb County Bar Association and the DuPage County Bar Association (DCBA).
Personal: Mr. Krentz was born in Aurora, Illinois on November 16, 1958. He is a lifelong resident of the Fox Valley. He has been married to his wife, Beth, for more than 20 years, and they have two children, Joe and Haley.
Community Involvement: He has been a coach in youth sports in Naperville for many years.
