Nicolette L. Young

Nicolette is an active member of the firm’s crisis management practice, representing clients in high-profile matters where the strategic coordination of multiple law firms and implementation of overarching strategy across teams is essential to the defense. She focuses on assisting clients in responding to catastrophic personal injury and property damage incidents and defending them in any resulting litigation. 

Nicolette also works with clients on litigation avoidance and to develop and implement risk management strategies while also optimizing clients’ business needs. Nicolette has played a significant role in high-profile environmental and pharmaceutical cases throughout the country.

Nicolette participates in all aspects of litigation, from development and implementation of defense strategies, to supervising and managing teams of lawyers addressing various dimensions of these complex litigation matters, such as offensive and defensive discovery, taking and defending fact and expert witness depositions, and drafting and arguing motions. Nicolette’s legal experience also includes representing clients at trial, analyzing evidentiary issues for deposition designations, trial exhibits, and witness testimony. She also frequently narrows and resolves cases through motion practice and through favorable settlement.

Nicolette received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in Los Angeles, where she was an editor for the Southern California Law Review. While in law school, Nicolette served as a judicial extern in the Superior Court of California.

Nicolette maintains an active pro bono practice, covering election and voting rights and immigration rights.

• Served as lead associate representing a global pharmaceutical manufacturer in high-stakes vaccine litigation, defending the company against fraud, false advertising, and consumer protection claims. She played an active role in developing case strategy, managing discovery, collaborating with joint defense groups, working with fact and expert witnesses, and taking and defending depositions
• Served as coordinating and litigation counsel in a major Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding involving hundreds of complaints and thousands of private plaintiffs asserting toxic tort claims, class action claims, unfair business practice act claims, and nuisance and trespass, among other claims, as well as government plaintiffs pursuing claims for civil penalties arising from a natural gas leak at a natural gas storage facility
• Represented a client in a toxic tort case involving plaintiffs who alleged that product exposure during manufacturing caused them to develop various cancers and other illnesses
• Successfully represented vehicle manufacturer in several product liability appeals
• Negotiated and managed a nationwide class action settlement of claims involving fraud and unfair competition