Photography Usage Rights Agreement Lawyers for Aurora, Illinois

I provide practical, plain-English legal guidance to solopreneurs and small businesses who want to build strong foundations and make informed decisions with confidence. With 20+ years of experience—including 16 years in-house advising senior and executive leaders—I bring the insight of a trusted legal partner who understands how legal strategy supports long-term business growth. My clients walk away feeling supported, seen, and empowered. They know I genuinely care about their success and bring more than just legal knowledge—I bring a coach’s mindset, a problem-solver’s lens, and a commitment to helping them protect what they’ve worked hard to build. Whether you’re reviewing contracts, forming your business, protecting your brand, or need ongoing legal support, I’m here to deliver clear, actionable guidance and solutions that fit your business.

I am a solo-practitioner with a practice mostly consisting of serving as a fractional general counsel to growth stage companies. With a practical business background, I aim to bring real-world, economically driven solutions to my client's legal problems and pride myself on efficient yet effective work.

I received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Northwestern University in 1996 and then got my JD at University of Illinois College of Law in 1999. I have been a lawyer helping people with legal issues in the United States and Internationally since then. That includes drafting and reviewing contracts. I am also passionate about helping small and medium businesses with trademark registration and trademark-related legal projects. The law can be confusing and complicated for people, and I am passionate about providing professional legal services to my clients while simultaneously making the legal process less confusing and stressful for them. My goal is to help clients navigate through both good and difficult times by tailoring my skills, experience, and services to their specific needs.

Former partner in mid-size firms, now a solo practitioner, with over a decade of experience in commercial real estate, including leasing, acquisition and disposition, and real estate finance.

Illinois-licensed attorney with 9 years of experience in public interest work utilizing advanced skills in contract & project management, compliance, investigation, risk management, & training. Proven record developing and managing partnerships to deliver exceptional results in government agencies, non-profits, law firms, and broad community networks leading to multi-million dollar recoveries, risk management, and execution of large-scale program initiatives. Skills include: 1. Project & Contract Management: 9 years in project & contract management tracking project and contract goals, stages, budgets, and deliverables to lead and support program and department initiatives. 2. Compliance, Investigation, & Risk Management: 9 years in law, policy, & programs conducting investigation, research, writing, analysis, and education in administrative agency and court matters relating to: compliance, financial regulation, contracts, employment, workforce development, healthcare, retirement assets, mental health, disability, taxes, immigration, civil rights, grants, benefits, social services, & criminal defense. 3. Training/Teaching: 4 years training co-workers & community partners; 3 years teaching in U.S. & Ecuador (7 total). 4. Technology: Microsoft Office (including Excel), Contract Express, DocuSign, SharePoint, Westlaw, Lexis Nexis, Concordance, GoldFynch, Clio, Smokeball, Qualtrics, Google Forms, Slack, Zoom, Teams, Webex, & Adobe. 5. Spanish: Advanced Spanish skills from 1 year of teaching, studying, & travel in Ecuador, Peru, & Mexico.

As a resident of the Chicago Southside, Attorney Carissa Essex is a dedicated mother, wife, and attorney. Carissa graduated from the Illustrious Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. She then returned to Chicago to obtain her Juris Doctorate in 2016 from DePaul University College of Law. After working in Corporate America for several years as a full-time Legal Project Manager practicing law part-time, Carissa decided to devote all of her time to her legal practice and founded Essex Law in early 2024. Focusing on Family Law and Real Estate Law matters, Essex Law provides exceptional and affordable services to all throughout the Chicagoland Area.

Attorney who focuses on all sorts of civil disputes.

I am an Illinois-barred attorney with 20 years of in-house government and affordable housing experience. I have had responsibilities of a member of the Office of a Chief Legal Officer, am an adaptable "Jill of all trades," and have strong operations and business acumen. I'm also well equipped to work in fast-paced, multi-priority environments, learn new areas of law and deal with unique situations.

Over the course of the past 30 years, in both General Counsel roles (3 times) and in private practice, I have built a successful national real estate transaction, construction, and environmental law practice

Ethan specializes in preparing and structuring transactional deals and advising business owners as outside general counsel. Ethan enjoys working with business owners and entrepreneurs who strive to achieve growth through utilizing modern-day solutions and implementing business strategies that get results. Ethan is passionate about helping families and individuals with disabilities to design, form, and administer special needs trusts, ensuring individuals with disabilities remain eligible for federal and state benefit programs while living their best lives. Ethan has experience from previous firms in civil litigation, estate planning, and regulatory matters. Ethan holds a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a Masters of Law in Taxation (LLM) from Georgetown Law University Law Center. Prior to law practice, Ethan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was promoted to Chief Editor at a regional news publication.