Meet the host, Ashley N. Kirkwood. Ashley Nicole Kirkwood, recently named to Crain's Chicago Business "20 in their 20s" is a funny, engaging, and dynamic speaker who has spoken to audiences with as many as 4,000 people in attendance! She is a startup attorney - who has handled multi-million dollar cases, author, social entrepreneur, and legal correspondent. She has handled jury trials across the United States and advises startup companies on laws they should know. When she isn't representing clients, you can catch Ashley serving as an on-air legal expert for media outlets!

Ashley graduated top of her class from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and began her career at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, one of the largest law firms in the world. While there, she helped try cases on behalf of large insurance companies. She also perfected the craft of hard negotiating inside and outside of the courtroom.

Ashley learned early on in her career the importance of salary negotiation to her future. After a few years working on behalf of large multinational clients, Ashley launched her own law firm, Mobile General Counsel, which provides legal solutions for startup companies. Ashley self-financed her entrepreneurial endeavors, in part, due to her salary negotiation tactics. While working in corporate America, Ashley negotiated a $60,000 raise in salary for herself using the tactics that she now teaches women around the world. Ashley now speaks at conferences around the country on entrepreneurship, salary negotiation, and laws business owners should know!