Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Ashley served as an assistant general counsel for the Illinois Department of Human Services. She advised all programs in the department's Family and Community Services Division on federal and state regulatory and compliance matters, government contracting, and administrative litigation. She also served as an extern for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Regional Counsel in Chicago. During Ashley's time with EPA, she gained valuable experience working on a wide range of enforcement cases involving various Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Superfund matters.

While earning her law degree, Ashley participated in Cornell's Water Law Clinic where she worked with New York state officials and local governments to urge EPA to reevaluate the efficacy and equity of the proposed Chesapeake Bay water quality regulations as applied to New York.