2025 BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPOTLIGHT:

NISHÁ DOTSON

Nishá N. Dotson, Esq. is a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois from Houston, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, Louisiana and she received her Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ms. Dotson began her legal career in Chicago, Illinois in private practice where she managed her own law firm representing clients in the areas of family law, employment law, criminal law, personal injury law, and wills and trusts law. After managing her own law firm, she embarked upon a new journey as an Assistant Public Defender with the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender. She is a Felony Trial Attorney in the Felony Trial Division and litigates major criminal felony cases. During her career, she has litigated over 100 bench and jury trials to verdict.

She is also an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she teaches trial practice and advocacy and coaches the Chicago Cup Competition and Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Teams.

In furtherance of her commitment to serving the legal community, Ms. Dotson is also on the Board of Managers for the Chicago Bar Association and the Board of Directors for LAGBAC, Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Bar Association, where she received the Recognition of Service Award. She is featured in the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism article, “How to Be an Ally to LGBTQ+ Lawyers” for her perspective on how legal professionals can be better allies to members of the LGBTQ+ community.