Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, P.C.

What Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, P.C. does

Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, P.C., operating as Nichols Law, P.C., is a boutique plaintiff-side employment law firm founded in 2018 by Sarah Nichols and headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm represents employees, executives, and senior professionals in cases involving workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage gap claims, whistleblower matters, and executive severance negotiations, with particular focus on protected classes including women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ employees, and people with disabilities. The firm operates on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients pay nothing upfront and the firm is compensated only upon a successful settlement or judgment.

The firm operates from a single San Francisco office with a small team of 5-10 employees, primarily anchored by founder Sarah Nichols plus a paralegal, legal assistant, IT strategy lead, and finance manager. Core technology is Clio, a standard legal practice management platform for case management and time tracking. The firm's go-to-market is community-led and content-driven, relying on The Women's Advocate podcast, active social media presence (Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube), educational blog content, and partnerships with advocacy organizations such as Equal Rights Advocates to generate inbound inquiries. The firm has no external funding, no subsidiaries, and no parent company, with ownership and control concentrated in the founder. The firm has helped clients secure over $30M in cumulative awards and settlements, including notable matters such as a $2.2M gender and age discrimination settlement against the Contra Costa County DA's Office, a $7.5M gender discrimination and retaliation resolution, and a $900K race and disability settlement.

Name

Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, P.C.

Legal name

Nichols Law, P.C.

Website

https://nicholslawyer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nichols Law is a San Francisco-based boutique plaintiff-side employment law firm founded in 2018 by Sarah Nichols, representing employees and executives in workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage gap cases on a contingency fee basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plaintiff-Side Employment Law Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Employment law services
• Plaintiff-side representation
• Workplace discrimination law
• Wage gap advocacy
• Civil rights law

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Representation - Contingency Fee: The firm represents employees on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients do not pay as work progresses; payment is made only upon receipt of a settlement or judgment. This model aligns firm incentives with client outcomes and reduces financial risk for plaintiffs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nichols Law, P.C. is a San Francisco-based plaintiff-side employment and HR law firm that represents individual employees in cases involving wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination (gender, race, age, disability, LGBTQ+), retaliation, wage gap claims, and whistleblower matters. The firm also provides executive severance negotiation and employment contract review services on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients pay no upfront legal fees and only pay upon successful settlement or judgment.

Product overview

Nichols Law, P.C. is a San Francisco-based employment and HR law firm providing legal services to employees. The firm operates as a single unified legal practice offering representation in wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage gap claims, whistleblower cases, executive severance negotiations, and contract reviews. The Women's Advocate podcast extends the firm's mission to raise awareness about workplace equality. The firm was founded in 2018 and represents clients nationwide, particularly focusing on closing the wage gap for women.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Women's Advocate Podcast: A podcast hosted by Sarah Nichols featuring interviews with female leaders and discussions on workplace equality, wage gap, and women's empowerment.

Products and services

• Wrongful Termination Legal Services
• Sexual Harassment Legal Services
• Employment Discrimination Legal Services
• Executive Severance Negotiations
• Whistleblower Legal Services
• Wage Gap Legal Services
• New Job Contract Negotiation
• Retaliation Legal Services
• The Women's Advocate Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $30M awarded to clients
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Equal Rights Advocates (ERA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2025Nichols Law actively supports and participates in Equal Rights Advocates events and initiatives. The firm attended ERA's 2025 Annual Gala Luncheon alongside colleague Wilder A. Clements. ERA is a nonprofit fighting for gender justice in workplaces and schools for over 50 years.
• Wilder A. ClementsminorOthersProfessional colleague who attended ERA's 2025 Annual Gala with Nichols Law team.
• Maria Bourn and Anthony Tartaglio, Gomerman | Bourn & AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel partnership in a transgender discrimination case. Maria Bourn and Anthony Tartaglio served as co-counsel alongside Nichols Law, demonstrating collaboration on complex employment discrimination matters.
• Lambda LegalminorOthersLGBTQIA+ legal advocacy organization mentioned as resource during Pride Month. No formal partnership indicated.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Outten & Golden LLP: One of the most prominent plaintiff-side employment law firms in the U.S., representing employees in discrimination, retaliation, and wage cases on contingency. Highly comparable business model, target clientele, and contingency-fee revenue structure to Nichols Law, but at significantly larger scale.
• Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Suh, LLP: California-based boutique plaintiff employment law firm focused on discrimination, harassment, and whistleblower matters. Directly comparable in geography, size, contingency model, and specialization, with overlapping client profiles in the Bay Area tech ecosystem.
• Altshuler Berzon LLP: California-based employment and civil rights law firm representing workers in discrimination, wage, and labor matters. Comparable plaintiff-side practice, similar geographic concentration, and overlapping practice areas including pay equity and retaliation.
• Katz Marshall & Banks LLP: Plaintiff-side employment and civil rights boutique with deep experience in gender, race, and disability discrimination cases. Comparable contingency-fee practice, similar case types (wrongful termination, retaliation), and comparable boutique scale.
• Goldstein Demchak Baller Borgen & Dardarian: Northern California plaintiff employment and civil rights firm handling discrimination, wage, and class action matters. Comparable boutique positioning, Bay Area geography, contingency model, and practice focus on individual employee representation.

Broad incumbents

• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Larger plaintiff-side firm with a notable employment practice handling discrimination and wage cases alongside mass torts and class actions. Comparable in handling employment discrimination matters but operates at greater scale with class-action capabilities.

Others

• Lambda Legal: National LGBTQIA+ civil rights legal organization that handles impact litigation and referrals. Adjacent rather than competitive; comparable practice area overlap (employment discrimination based on sexual orientation/gender identity) and referral ecosystem participant.
• Equal Rights Advocates (ERA): Nonprofit legal advocacy organization focused on gender justice in workplaces and schools. Not a competitor for casework, but a referral and ecosystem partner that channels clients to plaintiff employment firms like Nichols Law.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NicholsLawPC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXs3KhYP3T12tewwFf7vEIQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nichols-law
• Instagraminstagram.com/nicholslawpc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, P.C.