Monica Loudon, JPMorgan Chase Bank’s Litigator and Gracious Nerd

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Monica Loudon was the tour guide of her elementary school, and she was a tour guide at Northwestern. “I think that probably sums up my personality perfectly,” the lawyer says, laughing.

This is only partially true. Loudon is someone you can feel smiling through the phone. She’s reflective and gracious, and there is heart behind every thought she expresses. She calls herself a “nerd” a lot—she’s always flocked to that particular crowd, and they’ve kept her on the right path.

But Loudon also possessed an incredible work ethic, spurred on by a mother who wanted more opportunities for her daughter. The student learned early that there were programs and opportunities available for prospective first-generation college students with the desire and motivation to get involved.

“There were some amazing programs in my city for inner city youth, of which I was a beneficiary. I mean everything from D.A.R.E. to G.R.E.A.T. summer programs to the federally funded Upward Bound program, which would ultimately help me find my way to Northwestern via a college tour when I was a junior in high school,” Loudon shares. “I found my tribe and voice via these opportunities.”

There are a number of high points in Loudon’s early years: law school at Cornell, six years roughing it in big law in Manhattan, and falling in love with the practice of law.

Loudon would spend ten years in the law firm world, representing financial institutions, corporations, and individuals in matters ranging from banking disputes to class actions, constitutional claims to breach of contract. It was all practice, all the time, and she was great at it. But when the pandemic hit, the attorney knew it wasn’t the way she wanted to spend the rest of her career.

“In private practice, I closed maybe forty cases in my whole career,” Loudon explains. “At JPMorgan Chase, I’ve closed over two hundred cases in four years. It’s just a much bigger body of work, and it’s a completely different way of approaching the work. The difference is that when you’re in-house, a majority of the time, I can do what I think is best with the support of management. It is resolution oriented in a way that private practice was not.”

The attorney does miss the chance to argue in front of a judge; these days, she mostly makes arguments to mediators, and takes more oversight when matters wind up in court. But she even finds a way to make an impression in that role. Her first jury trial after going in-house, Loudon was told by the presiding judge that she was the least distracting client they’d had in the courtroom.

“He said that I actually let my lawyers listen to the witnesses,” Loudon says, laughing. “I just thought, if you’re at a trial and you’re not listening, you’ve already lost. Sure, maybe we were fighting about objections in the hallway, but not in front of the judge.”

The lawyer admits that the more reasonable schedule of an in-house attorney was life-changing for her, especially when it came to building out more of her personal life with her new husband. She’d spent a decade focusing on nothing but her career, and while it made her an incredible lawyer capable of landing a prestigious role at JPMorgan Chase, she believes her life is more enjoyable now.

“At JPMorgan Chase, I’ve closed over two hundred cases in four years. It’s just a much bigger body of work, and it’s a completely different way of approaching the work.”

Monica Loudon

She also especially appreciates the diversity at JPMorgan Chase. “It is a place that feels friendly/familiar, yet you see the extra effort that your colleagues bring to the table every day. There are so many opportunities to be inspired.”

Loudon remains bold, outgoing, and someone you could imagine being a hell of a tour guide. Her gratitude is ever-present, and she’s doing what she can to pay it forward.

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