Alicia Thornbury (she/her)

Partner, Real Estate & Business Transactions at Halsted & Reyes LLP · Northwestern Pritzker J.D. alumna · Admissions video-question volunteer Chicago, Illinois

About

I spend my days on commercial leases, small-business acquisitions and the occasional restaurant that needs a second chance. I'm a Northwestern Pritzker alumna. For the past few years I've helped write and film questions for the school's recorded video interview, which the Admissions Committee reviews after applicants submit. I don't watch the answers, but I think hard about what a good question can bring out in ninety seconds. I care about lawyers who explain things plainly, about mentoring first-generation law students, and about small clients getting the same care as large ones.

Experience

Halsted & Reyes LLP (Chicago, IL) - Partner, Real Estate & Business Transactions, 2019 - present - Represent landlords, tenants and family-owned businesses in leasing, financing and sale transactions. - Lead the firm's pro bono partnership with neighborhood small-business clinics.

Halsted & Reyes LLP - Associate, 2014 - 2018 - Drafted and negotiated commercial leases and asset purchase agreements.

Calder Mutual Insurance (Chicago, IL) - Contracts Analyst, 2008 - 2011 - Reviewed vendor and broker agreements before law school.

Education

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law - J.D., 2014. Student in an entrepreneurship law clinic; teaching assistant for Communication & Legal Reasoning.
University of Wisconsin-Madison - B.A., Political Science, 2008.

Volunteering

Alumni volunteer, Northwestern Pritzker admissions: writes and films video-interview questions (2022 - present).
Mentor, a Chicago program pairing first-generation 1Ls with practicing attorneys (2017 - present).
Board member, a neighborhood small-business legal help desk (2020 - present).

Interests

Open-water swimming in Lake Michigan, community theater set-building, and a running book club that has read Evicted twice.