Personal Information:
Nicole recently earned her Juris Doctor and will be starting a clerkship in business court this August. She is passionate about reforming legal education and engaging in valuable mentorship for minorities and the underprivileged in the legal field.
She grew up in Southern California, less than two miles away from Walt Disney Headquarters in Burbank, California. She graduated from UC Irvine where she majored in History with an emphasis in Indigenous Revolutions in Latin America. She minored in Political Science with an emphasis in Public Policy and Latin American Studies. Furthermore, Nicole attended UCLA to enhance her education and studied abroad at Cambridge University, UK.
Nicole graduated first in her department and was selected as the School of Humanities Commencement Speaker. Additionally, she received the inaugural Vicki L. Ruiz Excellence in History Award. During her undergraduate studies, she served as the first female Judicial Board Chair in student government.
Nicole attended the UNLV Boyd School of Law, ranked #1 in legal writing. She was the recipient of the Dean’s award for accomplishments of note. During law school, she served as the President of the Hispanic/Latinx Law student organization, La Voz. La Voz manages an award winning, nationally recognized four-tier legal mentorship program called Huellas (“footprints” in Spanish). She was also on law review and served as the Business Editor of the UNLV Gaming Law Journal.
Nicole is a published academic author. Her student note, “A Change on the Horizon for the Gaming Industry: Trends, Blockchain Technology, and Cryptocurrency” was recently published in the UNLV Gaming Law Journal.
During Nicole’s legal education, she externed for the Federal Public Defender- Capital Habeas Unit, District of Nevada, UMC In-House Counsel, and Caesars Entertainment In-House Counsel. Currently, she is preparing to publish a new article on medical malpractice medical affidavit requirements in Nevada.
Nicole has found that she gained the most out of her professional development by staying curious and getting out of her comfort zone. Her advice for tackling any goal is to “remain flexible and get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. Embrace challenges and failures because they are your most important teachers.”
Additionally, Nicole’s family tradition of celebrating small wins just as much as the big ones can go a long way. She believes that when you celebrate small wins, you learn to enjoy the journey to your destination.
In the future, Nicole hopes to gain experience in business litigation and work on cases that involve technology and the law. She also plans to continue mentoring and opening doors for others. “My goal is to use my gained knowledge to change the legal education system and make it more accessible and aligned to our changing world.”
During her free time, Nicole loves to salsa dance and travel. She is very excited about the immense impact that Latina Professionals will have on the community at-large.
