I first met Laura Nichols at an Athens Business Connection Meeting and I instantly liked her. She was pretty fresh out of law school, had started her own firm, and was getting through that infamous first year known to lawyers as the time that either makes or breaks them. I have a family full of lawyers, and am always glad to see some fresh, honorable blood coming to the profession. I found Laura to be a wonderful blend of professionalism and compassion.
Becoming a lawyer was not what Laura had planned on doing; her first plan was to become a physical therapist. She had badly broken her arm as a teenager, and the care she received while regaining the use of her arm made her think that physical therapy was what she wanted to do. She enrolled in the University of South Alabama, on track for her career as a health care practitioner, and then something most unexpected happened: she took some political science courses, and, as she says with a smile, “fell in love with the Constitution.” We could have spent the rest of our time together talking about what a joy it was to discover while in college the remarkable document that defines our nation and our justice system.
She ended up finishing at USA with a minor in pre-law, and found herself in a dilemma. She loved both fields, and they weren’t exactly compatible. She couldn’t see herself as a lawyer, but clearly that was what was pulling on her heart. Laura speaks with great affection toward the wisdom of her mother, who “knew,” (as only mothers do,) that Laura was born to be a lawyer, but Mrs. Nichols understood that Laura needed to find that out for herself.
She enrolled in the law school at Ole Miss and graduated in 2010. She received her license to practice law in the state of Alabama in 2011, and practiced on her own for a year. In October of 2012 she joined the team headed up by Michael Lambert of Lambert Law Firm, LLC, and this is what he has to say of her: “Laura brings a fresh perspective,” and, when he is “preparing for a trial, Laura takes the oppositional position and throws every possible question and argument at him that she can. She is also a stickler for details, loves doing research for a case, and gets pleasure out of the paperwork side of the practice of law.” He went on to say, “She cares about each case, and each client equally, making my job easier, better, and more enjoyable.”
Family law, bankruptcy, wills and appeals are Laura’s area of concentration, and no matter what the case, she believes that the only way to adequately do her job is to do her “100% best.”
One of the things I enjoy about Laura is that she is very thorough. As Michael mentioned, she is one of those rare birds who genuinely loves doing paperwork, and Lord knows there is a lot of paperwork in the business of law! Additionally, she is someone who allows herself to become attached to her clients. That is something that is rare, and takes an exceptional amount of inner strength.
So, I asked what I always ask, and that is, “Laura, there are lawyers all over Limestone County, why should I come to you?”
Without hesitation she replied, “I love helping people and fighting for my client’s rights each and every step of the way.” In a day when lawyers are not always seen in a positive light, it is refreshing to know that there is a lawyer who is both a fighter and a friend. Her name is Laura Nichols, and she can be found at Lambert Law Firm, LLC, 112 West Market Street, Athens, AL 35611.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
