Nicole M. Perez is the Director of Client Services and Compliance at LAFLA, where she oversees LAFLA’s intake, outreach, community education, and self-help efforts, and monitors compliance with LAFLA’s and grantors’ high-quality standards and requirements. Nicole is a disabled woman and grew up in poverty in Los Angeles’ low-income Latino communities; ensuring meaningful access to social justice is the cornerstone of her work.

Previously, Nicole was the Managing Attorney of LAFLA’s Veterans Justice Center where she worked passionately alongside her colleagues and Veterans themselves to advocate for government benefits, prevent Veteran homelessness, and achieve transformative justice. She founded the first Veterans law school clinic in Los Angeles at Loyola Law School in 2010, and has delivered dozens of national and regional trainings on client-centered lawyering, Veterans advocacy, and collaborating with community partners. Nicole began her legal career as a Skadden Fellow in homelessness and government benefits advocacy at LAFLA in 2007.

Nicole proudly serves on the board of the Legal Aid Association of California. She received her law degree and Master of Social Work (MSW) from UCLA and her undergraduate degrees in social welfare and ethnic studies from UC Berkeley. As important, Nicole earned her “degree” in life skills from her kind and hardworking single father, Fred Perez.