Sean A Nicholson

Sean A Nicholson

4.6
Rating: 8.3

Licensed for 27 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Vancouver, WA
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Expungement

1220 Main Street, Suite 400, Vancouver, WA

About Sean

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense 99%

Domestic Violence, Driving Under the Influence & DMV Defense, Theft/Fraud/Embezzlement Cases, Elder Abuse, Drug Offenses, Assault/Battery, Burglary/Robbery, Trespassing, Vandalism, Probation Violations.

28 years

99%
Expungement 1%

If you have fulfilled your probation obligations, we can aid you in having your guilty or no contest plea changed to a not guilty finding and dismissal of the accusations or pleading. Thereby effectively cleaning your record. Call for details.

28 years

1%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Retainer

Always


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 6 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 2019

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in California for 27 years

State: California

Acquired: 1998

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Pacific Defender Law Group

1220 Main Street, Suite 400, Vancouver, WA, 98660

Pacific Defender Law Group

601 West 1st Avenue, Suite 1400, Spokane, WA, 99201

Pacific Defender Law Group

400 Union Avenue SE, Suite 200, Olympia, WA, 98501

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Sean A Nicholson's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.6 /5.0

48 Client Reviews

Showing 1 - 5 of 9 reviews | Character & Conduct

Posted by anonymous | April 08, 2026 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Great Lawyer

I had an outstanding experience working with Sean Nicholson at Nicholson Law Offices. From the very beginning, Sean was professional, knowledgeable, and fully committed to helping me achieve the best possible outcome. As a criminal defense attorney, he clearly knows the system inside and out, and tha...t confidence made a huge difference during a very stressful time. Sean took the time to explain everything in a way that was easy to understand, kept me informed throughout the entire process, and always made me feel like I was a priority. Thanks to his expertise and dedication, my case was successfully reduced — something I’m incredibly grateful for. If you’re looking for a criminal defense lawyer who is responsive, strategic, and truly cares about his clients, I highly recommend Sean Nicholson and Nicholson Law Offices. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with him again.

Posted by anonymous | May 16, 2023 | Hired Attorney | DUI & DWI

Piss poor excuse of a lawyer

This man, incompetent child should I say, is just a god awful excuse of a lawyer. Sean DOES NOT know how to defend a simple DUI case, let alone find the time to actually care for his clients. I will go out of my way to make sure people understand one thing, THAT NO ONE SHOULD EVER GO TO THIS MAN!

Sean Nicholson

Replied last May 17, 2023

W.S. - you are continuing your fruad. This person was not a client, but rather a significant other of a cient, who has committed payment fraud and posting lies because we won't accept the payment fraud. FALSE REVIEW.

Posted by anonymous | March 03, 2021 | Hired Attorney | DUI & DWI

DO NOT PAY FOR A DUI LAWYER IN CALIFORNIA.

Especially Sean and Leslie Nicholson. From my experience with this so called law firm, no matter the representation, your Discovery tells the judge all he/she needs. And a lawyer here, according to Sean and Leslie has to follow that ruling. So what is the purpose of a DUI Lawyer if there's no con...sideration of the accounts in your Disovery? None at all! Despite that fact, Sean is incompetent and demeaning. He's all over the place and cannot give credible advice in whatever state he's licensed in now. Hell... how would you know if he even understands YOUR state laws? His prior reviews must be from family members or he just deletes the ones that dont give him a 5 star rating. Hmmmm... at any rate, gotta call B.S. on this guy.

Sean Nicholson

Replied last April 27, 2022

You got the best outcome by far of any case on calednar that day. We spent over 3.5 hours in the courtroom hallway going over it again and again, before YOU decided to accept the plea bargain. You were given repeated advice regarding your option to go to trial or accept the negotiated plea. We went over all of the offers from the offer sheet to show you that you were getting the best result of any similar case on calendar that day, which there were 55 - 60. It seems like your overall compaint has to do with California law, as inidated by your title line, it was certainly not a lack of explaining your options to you over and over again. Truly sat there with you 3.5 hours, until your case was the final case of the day, I understand you don't like the result but it had nothing to do with the time or representation. Certain offenses, such a DUI cases with priors, carry minimums that the D/A's will go, depending upon which County your case is in. You received the best result for that entire courtroom calendar that day and I personally showed that to you while at court.

Posted by anonymous | February 09, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Cheap but not Really

Flier Lawyer. He was the cheapest; 2.tk for pretrial 5k for trial was he offer for his service. Initial 30 minutes phone consultation / sales was good with empty possibilities. after hiring, the work he put in was next to none: two meetings were held at court; he knew next to nothing about the mat...erials given to him. The worst part: I told him from the start that I wanted to go to trial. At the pretrial, he pressured me in accepting a plea deal I had no idea it's implications. Here how he did it: 1. He told me that it was much better than what he expected. You should take it . You have to give me an answer in the next few minutes. 2. I said "no", he said the following: If you don't take listen to me why do you even hired me. If you want to go to trial I will have to charge another 10k and my calendar is full; it will need be push back for another couple of months. He never explained the guilty pleas consequences and even downplay it. I desperately wanted the pain to stop for me and the people who care about me. I now realize that's how he maximize his profit for the minimum of work. For my case, I believe he spent less than two hours of his time, plus the courts waiting time. He was the attorney on record for almost half the the cases when I had court. He is little better than the court appointed but not by much. I'm suffering for my decision I made with his help. Others should aware how he works so they don't make the same mistakes. I asked him to give me back my case material . He resfused. I forgive him so I can move on. Good luck hunting for a good lawyer.

Sean Nicholson

Replied last February 09, 2018

I know exactly who this client is and the entire post is simply untrue. I reviewed every aspect of your case and gave you our honest case evaluation and recommendation. I also did not refuse to go to trial. I refused to go to trial on your demand of no time waiver basis, which was not ever part of our agreement, and not at all possible schedule wise. All charges, except Disturbing the Peace were DISMISSED. Court records: 001 - PC422(a)-MISD-Criminal Threats - Dismissal: Negotiated Plea 002 - PC594(b)(2)(a)-MISD-Vandalism Under $400 - Dismissal: Negotiated Plea 003 - PC148(a)(1)-MISD-Resist, Obstruct, Delay Of Peace Officer Or EMT - Dismissal: Negotiated Plea 004 - PC415(2)-MISD-Disturbing The Peace By Loud Noise - Pled Nolo Contendere. It is now over 6 months since we handled your case and you post this utterly false review. Court Records: Defendant advised, understood, and waived: Defendant was advised of and understood Charges and Direct Consequence of Plea Right to Trial by Jury Waived Court Found Plea Knowledgeable,Intelligently Made,Voluntary Defendant stated there is no legal cause why sentence should not now be pronounced. Affidavit of Summary Probation Violation filed Probation Violation Withdrawn and Stricken - Victim does not want to proceed with charges. You allegedly violated probation within two months which is why you are "suffering for my decision", the court records show the truth, the post is simply FALSE. Lastly, you were given all case materials except for the encrypted digital files provided by the D/A's office that could not be copied, as was explained to you repeatedly. Simply put, none of your post is truthful.

Posted by Alex | August 22, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Expungement

LEGAL REPRESENTATION

Mr. Sean Nicholson conducted my case covering all details possible, and the day at the Court he met me outside the Court Room, as previously discussed, and before going to the podium to see the Judge. He explained me that he had met the Judge and the D.A. to discuss my case, getting a reduced infrac...tion with a very affordable fine, and explained to me all the options I had besides the offer from the Court, for me to take an informed decision. He spoke calmly, not using too many technical terms, giving time to understand. Then we went to the Court Room, and at the end, with an outcome matching exactly what Mr. Nicholson had told me minutes before, Mr. Nicholson got a receipt from one of the clerks and gave it to me for me to pay the fine, adding that in one year we would apply for expungement, so I could have my records clean again. He also added that I could call him for any further questions I might have. In summary, I can describe Mr. Nicholson’s performance with one word: Excellence (5 stars).

See All Client Reviews

Sean A Nicholson's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Sean
William Francis Fitzgerald headshot
William Fitzgerald

DUI and DWI lawyer | Jun 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Christine Bogosian headshot
Christine Bogosian

Criminal defense lawyer | May 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. He is an excellent attorney and always looks out for the best interest of the client."

Bradford Weston III headshot
Bradford Weston

Criminal defense lawyer | Mar 19

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. I have worked closely with Mr. Nicholson and the other partners in his firm for over ten years. They are all great lawyers and great people. They have vast knowledge of the criminal law issues throughout the entire S.F.Bay Area and beyond and are smart and efficient lawyers. I go to Sean for advice on complicated legal matters and enjoy working with him and the other partners and associates at Nicholson and Nicholson. Sean Nicholson gets things done."

Daryl Brian Thompson headshot
Daryl Thompson

DUI and DWI lawyer | Jan 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Sean Nicholson for his expertise in DUI/DWI."

Moises Aguilar headshot
Moises Aguilar

Criminal defense lawyer | Nov 21

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Mr. Nicholson is a skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney. He is an indispensible asset to his clients and the criminal defense community at large. I would not hesitate to refer a client to him if the occasion arose."

Erik W Nicholson headshot
Erik Nicholson

Criminal defense lawyer | Nov 21

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"Mr. Nicholson was my mentor through college and law school. I had the opportunity to work in his office for several years and can personally attest to hundreds of victories on misdemeanor and felony cases as well as DMV administrative hearings. I highly recommend his services to anyone in need."

Tyrone Roman Martinez headshot
Tyrone Martinez

Criminal defense lawyer | Nov 21

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyers outstanding work. I've seen first hand how hard Mr. Nicholson works for his clients. His knowledge of criminal knowledge is deep and his commitment to his clients impressive. Mr. Nicholson is truly an asset to his clients and the legal community."

Christian K. Lassen II headshot
Christian Lassen

Unknown lawyer | Oct 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Top-notch attorney. Highly respected in the legal community."

Yvonne Elizabeth Todd headshot
Yvonne Todd

Criminal defense lawyer | Oct 23

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I strongly endorse this lawyer. He is an hard working aggressive attorney who fights for his clients and gets great results. His tremendous amount of experience separates him from the rest. Sean is truly an asset to the legal community."

View All Endorsements
Christine Bogosian headshot
Christine Bogosian

Criminal defense lawyer

Bradford Weston III headshot
Bradford Weston

Criminal defense lawyer

Daryl Brian Thompson headshot
Daryl Thompson

DUI and DWI lawyer

George Vincent Vargas headshot
George Vargas

Criminal defense lawyer

Moises Aguilar headshot
Moises Aguilar

Criminal defense lawyer

Erik W Nicholson headshot
Erik Nicholson

Criminal defense lawyer

Tyrone Roman Martinez headshot
Tyrone Martinez

Criminal defense lawyer

Yvonne Elizabeth Todd headshot
Yvonne Todd

Criminal defense lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.3 (Excellent)

Honors

1998

Excellent Acheivement in Criminal Defense, Am Jur Bankroft Whitney

Work Experience

1998 - Present

Owner/Attorney, Nicholson Law Offices

Associations

2021 - Present

Washington Defender Association

Attorney Member

2000 - Present

Los Angeles County Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section

2000 - Present

Alameda County Bar Association, Trial Practice Section

1999 - Present

California Public Defenders Association

1998 - Present

San Francisco County Bar Association

1998 - Present

State Bar of California, Solo and Small Firm Section

1998 - Present

State Bar of California, Criminal Law Section

Sample of Legal Cases

State of Washington v. W.C.

Reckless Driving

People of the State of California v. J.H.

Dismissed Felony Conviction Reduced to Misdemeanor

People of the State of California v. J.H.

Dismissal

DMV v. R.C.

DMV Set Aside – No CDL Suspension

DMV v. A.G.G.

DMV Set Aside – No CDL Suspension

DMV v. N.M.

DMV Set Aside – No CDL Suspension

People of the State of California v. B.R.

Petty Theft

People of the State of California v. S.N.S.

Dismissal

DMV v. R.R.

Set Aside – No CDL Suspension

People of the State of California v. K.M.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. A.R.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. R.G.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. L.L.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. A.G.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. J.B.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. F.A.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. J.Z.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. J.L.

Dismissal

DMV v. L.D.

DMV Set Aside - No CDL Suspension

People of the State of California v. M.P.

Dismissal

People of the State of California v. S.G.

All Charges Dismissed

Case Dismissed after Pre-Trial Conference

All Charges Dismissed

DMV v. P.N.

SET ASIDE - NO SUSPENSION CDL

People of the State of California v. J.K.

No conviction / No suspension.

DMV v. J.F.

DMV Set Aside - No CDL Suspension

DMV v. J.H.

NO REFUSAL SUSPENSION - SET ASIDE OF REFUSAL SUSPENSION

DMV v. C.P.

DMV Set Aside - No CDL Suspension

People of the State of California v. E.O.

DUI Charges Dismissed/DMV Set Aside

DMV v. T.E.

DMV Set Aside - No CDL Suspension

DMV v. J.K.

SET ASIDE - NO SUSPENSION CDL

DMV v. PTC [Private]

SET ASIDE - NO SUSPENSION CDL

DMV v. E.O. [Private]

DMV Set Aside - No CDL Suspension

DMV v. J.C.

DMV Set Aside - No CDL Suspension

People of the State of California v. C.H.

All Charges Dismissed

People of the State of California v. B.L.

All Charges Dismissed - Probation Reinstated

See More Legal Cases

Education

1998

Golden Gate Univ SOL

JD - Juris Doctor

1994

Western Oregon University

undergraduate

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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