The Leader of Criminal Defense Law

She sees her clients in their deepest hours of need. Alone, she stands between them and the weight of the government. Because she understands the critical need for clients to have a strong and unflinching adversary in their fight for justice, she embraces the mantra espoused by the criminal defense bar: “Liberty’s Last Champion.” “The services I provide are very personal,” criminal defense attorney Nellie King says. “The accused is someone’s father, daughter, son or neighbor. I fight for them as if they were my own family in the midst of a crisis.” Considered a changemaker in her field, she is the second vice president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, an Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Women In Leadership Awards recipient and serves as co-host of the annual Stand Up for Innocence comedy fundraiser benefitting the Innocence Project of Florida. “I believe lawyers must do more than process files through the system,” she says. “Lawyers have a responsibility to ensure that injustice and inequality are challenged and that the system works for everyone, regardless of race or resources. I am motivated to change the landscape for the better, and my leadership and philanthropy in various organizations is how I can best fulfill this role. I take my job seriously, and I am honored to do this very important work for the citizen accused.”