Jessica B. Reddick (JD ’10)

Jessica B. Reddick (JD ’10) is a founding partner of Knight, Morris & Reddick Law Group. Formed in 2012, Jessica’s firm focuses on estate planning, real estate transactions, corporate law and entertainment law. Within the corporate practice area, Jessica works closely with all of her clients, assisting them in the initial formation stages and essentially acting as in-house counsel, and also helps with the day-to-day legal needs, such as contract drafting and negotiating. Through her role in the entertainment group, Jessica works with chefs, athletes, musicians, and writers to help them with branding, trademarking, and licensing. Knight, Morris & Reddick Law Group also has a subsidiary, KMR Legal Staffing, which provides outsourced, specialized attorneys to firms and corporations during times of major litigation.  

Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Undergraduate Institution: Haverford College, Pennsylvania.
Current Employer: Knight, Morris & Reddick Law Group.

Why did you choose Loyola?
Well, I didn’t grow up wanting to be a lawyer. I worked in a number of industries after college, mostly focusing on business and finance; but after two years, I landed a job as a junior paralegal for a large law firm in Washington, D.C. There is where I discovered that I wanted to be a lawyer and it really resonated with me that I had a legal mind. After having worked for a few years, it was important to me to attend a law school located in a city where I could live after graduation. I have always believed that you should be guided by your passions by first finding something that you love to do, becoming great at it, and then creating your place within that industry, rather than letting external factors dictate your path.

Tell us about your time at Loyola.
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so my favorite classes were the ones that connected legal work and business, such as negotiation classes. I was also involved in BLSA, which provided me with the opportunity to attend events and have resources of support during stressful times. BLSA also connected me with other minority groups at a city-wide level, which was extremely helpful as we were building KMR and looking for mentors to offer guidance. Going to Loyola taught me to think critically like an attorney, and it also gave me a wonderful network to connect with people in Chicago.

What do you envision for your career in the next few years?
The top priority is to expand and grow KMR Legal Staffing – even overseas.  Our agency employs a lot of recent law school graduates, so it’s a great way to reach back to Loyola and the other law schools in the city.  We also opened up a Los Angeles branch of KMR Law Group in October of 2015, and we are looking to continue to expand with a branch in Washington, D.C. I really enjoy working with KMR, so I would be open to the idea of moving back to D.C.

What would be one piece of advice for young lawyers?
Make sure that you’ve set a plan for yourself, because it can become a very competitive industry after law school. It’s important to think about the long term goals that work for you, so be creative and form your career around that.