Ashley Graves

Real Estate Counsel

Phoenix Investors

Born and raised in southern Mississippi, I moved to Milwaukee, WI in August of 2017 to attend law school at Marquette University after receiving my bachelor’s of business administration from the University of Mississippi. I originally attended law school to pursue a career in sports law and had several great internships doing just that, including a legal internship with the Milwaukee Brewers and an externship with the enforcement division of the NCAA. However, it wasn’t until I landed an in-house legal internship with a local Wisconsin developer that I fell in love with the commercial real estate industry and knew I wanted to use my law degree to work in commercial real estate. After a successful internship working in real estate, I focused the remainder of my law school experience on commercial real estate law courses. Since then, I haven’t looked back. I currently work in-house at Phoenix Investors as one of the company’s Real Estate Counsels and handle a wide range of projects including acquisitions and dispositions of commercial properties, commercial finance transactions, and commercial leasing.

Q) What do you enjoy the most about commercial real estate?
A) The fast-paced environment and the uniqueness of each transaction–no two deals are the same!

Q) What is the best piece of advice you have received? 
A) Ask questions and never stop looking for opportunities to learn.

Q) What is your favorite quote?
A) “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Q) Where did you grow up?
A) Sumrall, Mississippi.

Q) What was cool when you were growing up but isn’t cool now?
A) HitClips — short lived, and albeit a ripoff, but man did I feel cool having HitClips hanging from my backpack in grade school.

Q) What’s your favorite place to travel to?
A) Back home to Mississippi to see my family

Q) What is a goal you would like to accomplish within your Commercial Real Estate career?
A) Become the General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer of a commercial real estate company.

Q) What do you hope to get out of your NextGen Experience?
A) I’m hoping to expand my knowledge of the different facets of commercial real estate and network with others in the industry!

Q) Anything else you would like to share?
A) I enjoy meeting others and welcome mentorship opportunities–whether as a mentee or mentor myself. I’ve had some great mentors in my life and hope to not only continue adding to the list, but also be a mentor to those younger than me who are interested in commercial real estate and the legal field alike!