Los Angeles & San Bernardino County
Criminal Defense Lawyer
Nicole Valera
From her first day interning at a local public defender's office, Shouse Law Group Attorney Nicole Valera knew she was going to be a criminal defense attorney.
"It was love at first sight," she says.
Nicole's passion and courtroom skills have won her the praise of clients, judges and fellow lawyers. She was recently recognized as a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers magazine.
Nicole handles the gamut of felony and misdemeanor cases, including cases involving domestic violence, sex crimes in California, juvenile adjudications (trials) in California, driving under the influence, California Vehicle Code 14601 vc driving on a suspended license, and vehicular manslaughter in California.
"You see the human side when you represent someone who has picked up a case," she explains. "Your client might be an outcast to the world, but this person is someone's son, someone's aunt, someone's loved one."
Prior to joining the Shouse Law Group, Nicole had her own private defense practice based in the San Gabriel Valley. Before that, she was a deputy public defender with the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office.
She's tried 25 cases to jury verdict, has worked in courthouses throughout the county, and is a skilled negotiator with prosecutors. In one case involving vehicular manslaughter in California, Valera was able to convince the deputy district attorney to dismiss the charges altogether.
"I worked that case up from every angle," Nicole recalls. "I consulted with an expert in accident reconstruction and I got an investigator. In the end, the prosecutor agreed to dismiss the vehicular manslaughter in California charge in exchange for a plea to California Vehicle Code 14601 vc driving on a suspended license."
Nicole has a reputation for working up all her cases with that kind of fervor, but she has a particular fondness for handling domestic violence matters, sex crimes in California and cases involving the juvenile justice system.
While she was a deputy public defender she worked at Sylmar Juvenile Hall and continues to represent kids facing juvenile adjudications (trials) in California. Out of court, she volunteers for the Long Beach Bar Foundation's Shortstop Program, which helps divert at-risk juveniles from the criminal justice system.
Nicole grew up in upstate New York and Manhattan Beach, California. She majored in cultural anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and attended Southwestern Law School in downtown Los Angeles.
An avid fan of "zombie" culture in all its manifestations, Nicole Valera plays zombie games on her cell phone, reads books about zombies and watches television shows like AMC's The Walking Dead.
She's as skillful in the kitchen as she is in the courtroom and enjoys preparing Italian food as well as Filipino dishes like chicken adobo.
When she's not hashing out her cases, Nicole is with her friends, family and two dogs...both rescues...a German Shepard mix and a Cockapoo.
Nicole practices extensively at the Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Alhambra, Pomona, West Covina, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana and Chino courthouses, and the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
