EXHIBIT 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
June 26, 2018
To the Employee Benefit Administrative Committee
The Northern Trust Company
We consent to the incorporation by reference in Registration Statement No. 333-212602 on Form S-8 of Northern Trust Corporation of our report dated June 26, 2018 , relating to the statements of net assets available for benefits of The Northern Trust Company Thrift-Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the statements of changes in net assets available for benefits for the years then ended, and the schedule of assets (held at end of year) as of December 31, 2017, which report appears in this Annual Report on Form 11-K of The Northern Trust Company Thrift-Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2017.
/s/ GEORGE JOHNSON & COMPANY
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
Chicago, Illinois