Art Commercial Use Agreement Template Lawyers for Joliet, 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 graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006 with a degree in Political Science, Finance, and Economics. I stayed around Champaign for law school and graduated in 2009. I then worked at a big law firm in downtown Chicago. It was boring, so I quit in early 2011. I thought that I could not be happy practicing law - I was wrong. After I quit the traditional law firm life, I began representing my own clients. I realize now that I love helping normal people, small business owners, and non-profits address a variety of legal issues. I hope to hear from you.

I am a business law attorney with over 15 years’ experience and a strong background in information technology. I am a graduate of the University of California Berkeley, a member of the Illinois bar, New York bar and a licensed lawyer (Solicitor) of England and Wales. I actively partner directly with my clients or indirectly, as Of Counsel, to boutique law firms to streamline business practices and manage legal risks by focusing on essentials such as - business contracts, corporate structure, employment/independent contractor agreements, website terms and policies, IP, technology, and commercial related agreements as well as business risk and compliance guidance.

A seasoned attorney with deep General Counsel experience and a flexible, business-minded approach to legal leadership. Skilled in collaborating with product, sales, operations, finance, and executive teams — not just to mitigate risk or ensure compliance, but to enable growth, innovation, and efficient deal execution. In my current practice at GCBench, I offer scalable, on-demand counsel tailored to organizations’ changing needs. Legal rigor is combined with operational sensibility, making guidance a facilitator rather than a hurdle. Whether structuring transactions, advising on regulatory matters, or shaping policies, legal strategy is aligned tightly with business objectives.

I am a skilled legal researcher and writer with a background in contract drafting and negotiation as well as litigation. I've served as an arbitrator for the past three years and have presided over nearly 400 binding arbitrations for an online dispute resolution platform. Additionally, I am a content writer and editor for the insurance division of LexisNexis. In my role as a contractor for LexisNexis, I research, draft, and edit high-quality legal reference tools on a variety of insurance topics for use by lawyers and insurance industry professionals.

Jocelyn A. Walters-Hird focuses her practice on conservation law and other real estate matters. She has provided counsel on dozens of conservation easement transactions as well as fee sales and acquisitions, including the structuring, negotiating, and closing of such projects. Prior to joining the conservation community, Jocelyn worked as a litigator, which has informed her approach to drafting workable documents and resolving post-transaction issues. With both in-house counsel and private practice experience, Jocelyn has a unique skillset allowing her to problem solve and provide sound legal advice to land trusts, landowners, and other organizations. She is the former Sr. Staff Attorney at the Minnesota Land Trust, where she led the legal team of the state’s largest non-profit land trust. She also worked as Attorney for Conservation Partners, LLP, a nationally-recognized boutique law firm that has assisted land trusts and landowners in protecting hundreds of thousands of acres of land. Jocelyn now serves as Contracted Counsel for the firm.

Lisa Copland Gordon is a seasoned litigator who has practiced law in Illinois for over 25 years. She is a graduate of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, with a concentration in Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution. Lisa earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University. Lisa provides counsel to clients in real estate matters including purchasing, selling, HOA and lease issues. She also represents clients and small businesses in all Cook County courthouse locations.

Marcia is an experienced business litigation and transactional attorney providing general counsel to individuals and small businesses owners in transactions and business disputes. Marcia's law practice focuses primarily on commercial litigation and transactional law. She represents and defends individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations, and not-for-profit corporations in a variety of commercial and employment disputes including partnership disputes, shareholder disputes, member disputes, and contract disputes. Additionally, she advises clients on transactional matters including contract creation, review, and negotiation, real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, donations, corporate governance, municipal governance, policy formation, and various compliance issues.

Attorney licensed in Texas & Illinois