Ms. Townsend is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois. She received her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and government from Georgetown University. She received her law degree from Fordham University School of Law in New York City. During her law school career, she was a member of Fordham Law Review and worked as a research assistant at the Federal Litigation Clinic. She assisted with the upcoming submission of a memorandum to the New York State Bar Association urging the addition of an alternative dispute resolution question to the New York State Bar Examination.