Prof. Thornton possesses a unique background in language, writing, and law, including a Master's degree in applied linguistics/TESOL; several years as an academic English as a second language instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and legal experience in complex commercial litigation at two large Chicago-based law firms. He also teaches in Northwestern's summer pre-law program for international LL.M. students, and he has taught upper level contract drafting in Northwestern's J.D. program. Prof. Thornton has extensive presentation experience on teaching legal reasoning and writing to international lawyers who speak English as a second language at conferences in the U.S. and around the world. He has also written legal practice articles on a variety of topics.