— CHICAGO, ILLINOIS · SINCE 1994
Trusted legal counsel for the real world.
We represent closely held businesses, executives, and families in the disputes and transactions that decide what happens next. Three decades of preparation, one partner accountable to you.
Schedule a consultation
Or speak with intake
(312) 604-1188
of Illinois trial and
transactional practice
ILLINOIS STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION
SUPER LAWYERS · ILLINOIS
MARTINDALE AV PREEMINENT
— LEGAL DISCIPLINES
The areas where we practice our law.
We take work in six disciplines and decline the rest. When a matter needs specialist counsel we say so early and make the introduction ourselves.
01
Commercial
Litigation
Contract, partnership, and fiduciary disputes in Cook County and the Northern District of Illinois — from emergency injunction through appeal.
02
Mergers &
Acquisitions
Buy- and sell-side representation for founder-owned companies in the $5M–$250M range, including diligence, financing, and earn-outs.
03
Employment
& Labor
Restrictive covenants, discrimination and retaliation defense, wage-and-hour exposure, and executive separations on either side of the table.
04
Real Estate
& Land Use
Acquisitions, leasing, and zoning for developers and family partnerships, plus assessment appeals and mechanics lien litigation.
05
Estates &
Succession
Wills, trusts, and business succession for owners planning the next transition — and contested probate when a plan is challenged.
06
White Collar
Defense
Internal investigations, grand jury response, and defense of fraud and regulatory charges for companies and licensed professionals.
— THE FIRM
Small enough to answer the phone. Deep enough to try the case.
Margaret Thornwick opened the firm in 1994 after nine years in the litigation department of a national practice, on a simple premise: a client should never have to choose between senior attention and real courtroom capacity.
Three decades later that premise still governs how we staff. Every engagement is led by a partner who has read the record, and no matter is handed to a first-year to learn on.
RECOVERED
MATTERS HANDLED
ATTORNEYS
— SELECTED RESULTS
The record, not the adjectives.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Matters below are representative and reported with client consent.
JURY VERDICT · 2025
Breach of a supply agreement tried to verdict in the Circuit Court of Cook County for a family-owned food manufacturer, after a $2.1M pre-trial offer.
TRANSACTION CLOSED · 2024
Sale of a regional logistics group to a private equity buyer, structured across two entities to preserve founder rollover equity and defer tax.
FEDERAL INDICTMENT · 2023
Wire fraud counts against a healthcare executive dismissed pre-trial after an eleven-month internal review and a Rule 12 challenge to the indictment.
— OUR PEOPLE
Meet the attorneys who work your file.
Eleven attorneys practice at Thornwick Law. These four lead the firm’s principal disciplines.
Founding Partner
Commercial Litigation
Partner
M&A, Private Company
Partner
Employment & Labor
Counsel
White Collar Defense
— WHAT CLIENTS SAY
Clients stay an average of eleven years.
Testimonials are published with written client permission. Names of individual matters are withheld where confidentiality applies.
“Margaret told us in the first meeting that our best case was worth less than we thought, and why. Two years later her number was almost exactly what the jury returned.”
Robert Ellsworth
President, Ellsworth Provisions Co.
“They closed a complicated sale in eleven weeks and never once made me feel like the smallest client on the list.”
Anne-Marie Kovač
Founder, Northline Logistics
“Our HR file went from a liability to a defensible process. We’ve had no claims survive the pleading stage since.”
Daniel Whitcombe
COO, Grayfield Manufacturing
— INSIGHTS
Notes from the practice.
— COMMON QUESTIONS
Before you call, this is usually what people ask.
Anything not answered here, ask us directly — the first conversation is free and confidential.
What does the first consultation cost?
Nothing. We spend up to an hour on the facts, tell you whether you have a matter worth pursuing, and outline what it would cost. If we are not the right firm, we will tell you that in the same meeting.
Do you take contingency matters?
Selectively, in commercial cases with quantifiable damages and a solvent defendant. Most litigation is billed hourly with a monthly cap agreed in advance so the number never surprises you.
Who will actually handle my case?
A named partner, identified in your engagement letter, who appears at every substantive hearing. Associates support the file; they do not run it.
How long does a commercial case take?
In Cook County, fourteen to twenty-six months from filing to trial setting, shorter if the matter resolves at mediation. We give you a written schedule in the first month and update it quarterly.
— SCHEDULE A CASE REVIEW
Tell us what happened. We will tell you where you stand.
A partner reviews every inquiry personally and responds within one business day.
OFFICE
225 West Adams Street, Suite 1740 Chicago, Illinois 60606
TELEPHONE
(312) 604-1188
intake@thornwicklaw.com