Robert J. Drumm

Robert J. Drumm began practicing law in 2002, graduating with top honors (Order of the Coif) from the University of Kansas School of Law after working several years in the printing and packaging industries. He holds a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree from Texas Tech University. Robert is licensed to practice in Kansas and Missouri.

Robert brings a unique background to his transactional practice areas. He practiced as an associate at a large Kansas City law firm in one of the region's leading real estate practice groups, and in business transactions with a large international firm. Robert then served as associate general counsel to a publicly-traded real estate investment trust, where he ran over $2 billion in acquisitions, dispositions and financing; he advised asset management and development teams; and he assisted in corporate governance and securities compliance. He also managed outside counsel and provided strategic guidance to the company in disputes ranging from small landlord-tenant cases to high-stakes litigation.

Robert’s background also includes five years as an entrepreneur. He built a small, home-based packaging supply company into a well-known and respected supplier serving the craft beverage industry, with a nationally-focused sales staff and a traditional bricks-and-mortar presence. After selling the business to investors from a private equity group, he refocused on his transactional practice and worked both independently and with a middle-market firm in Kansas City.

Robert’s background as in-house counsel for a publicly-traded company, as a small business owner, and real estate investor helps him stay focused on the real-world objectives behind legal matters—whether they be transactions, compliance issues, or litigation—and he especially enjoys working with entrepreneurs in planning for growth, in addressing challenges, and in smoothing out the inevitable transitions in the life cycle of a business or a real estate asset. He also enjoys working with churches and charitable organizations in real estate and organizational management projects.

Most of Robert’s time outside the office is devoted to his wife and five children, and to activities at his family’s third-generation farm in Coffey County, Kansas.

Robert approaches every engagement with these three fundamentals in mind:

1.  Risk is to be managed, not avoided. An objective advisor can help you assess those risks, and a good negotiator can help you mitigate them, but risk-taking is a part of every successful business or real estate venture. A lawyer should understand that and won't tell you "no," but rather "the potential consequences of that action are...."

2.  Avoid sweeping things under the rug and kicking cans down the road. Business and real estate principals should have those awkward conversations and consider contingencies early on, before issues arise. If they hit these question head-on, they’ll have better results and better relationships down the road when it comes time to divide the pot of gold—or the pile of manure—before they encounter it.

3. Good legal work can’t fix bad deals. I stand ready to help clients go beyond the financial reports and the legal documents to assess their strategic options holistically, so that they know who they’re dealing with and how a business or real estate project really works before they commit themselves to a course of action. I'd rather help you avoid a mistake than help you work your way out of it.