Karen L. Nicolson ’89

Karen L. Nicolson has been CEO of the Center for Elder Law and Justice for 18 years. Under her leadership, the organization has seen its staff grow from 12 to 49, and its income rise from less than half a million dollars to over $4 million annually.

Nicolson grew up on Long Island with her parents and younger brother. Her mother’s experience growing up in Germany during World War II influenced her principles of justice. When Nicolson was 12, she was recruited as a volunteer and met her first lawyer. He showed her how his job worked and it inspired her to work in legal services.

She started college at SUNY Stony Brook but soon left for Buffalo. Later, she selected UB School of Law because there weren’t other public options. She met law students in the dorms and it created a helpful connection. Once she moved off campus, she began to intern at Neighborhood Legal Services and the Center for Elder Law and Justice. She met her husband in law school during her second year, and they were married two years after graduation.

Nicolson found a job right after graduation with the help of UB. She was a staff attorney with CELJ for 11 years before her promotion to CEO; before that, she worked briefly at the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo. She has witnessed discrimination against women in the legal profession, though today she says it’s far more subtle.

Nicolson worked in her organization for 30-plus years but made only $16,000 a year; her husband, Tom, supported them financially with his big firm job. She is committed to her work because she is passionate about filling the need for legal services. Moving to a bigger, higher-paying firm never occurred to her. Today, public service salaries in agencies such as hers are much higher—in the mid-$50,000 range. Nicolson credits the exponential growth of the agency to the amazing lawyers she has been able to hire locally. Her favorite part of the job is working with younger attorneys and watching them grow.

Nicolson felt well prepared for the legal profession, especially after taking a class on administrative law and other clinic programs. UB prepares students for public interest law, and her UB diploma is a tremendous source of pride for her. She also notes that students coming out of UB Law all seem enthusiastic about pursuing justice. She stands by her advice to law students: meet as many people as you can and continue to network.