Elaine Nicholson

Partner/Co-Founder

Admitted: State Bars of North Carolina and New Jersey.

Personal: Elaine was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA.

Education and Training: She attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. A few years later, she obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Seton Hall University. Beginning in 2001, she attended the evening law program at Seton Hall University Law School. She graduated in 2005 and became a member of the NJ Bar in November 2005. Following graduation from law school, she clerked for the Honorable Renee J. Weeks in the Probate division of the Essex County Superior Court in New Jersey.

Professional: Elaine’s legal experience includes immigration, family law, domestic adoptions, personal injury, and will drafting. She has also represented parents whose children were placed in foster care. Her background includes extensive experience in the non-profit sector. For several years, she served as an administrator with one of the nation’s largest community development corporations, where she worked with programs that served individuals in low-income communities in and around Newark, NJ. In fact, she worked full-time during all four years of law school.

Memberships: Elaine is a member of the NC and NJ bars and the Mecklenburg County Bar Association.

Family: Elaine is married to her law partner, Carnell Johnson. They have lived in Charlotte since 2008 and have a daughter. She enjoys reading, cooking, patio gardening, spending time in the NC mountains, and traveling. Although she is not a sports fanatic, she always roots for the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers.