Nicole N. Sanchez
Since beginning her legal career in 2013, Nicole Sanchez has always practiced in the field of criminal law with an unwavering passion for criminal and social justice. Nicole has been practicing in the Tampa Bay area since 2019. Prior to that, she practiced criminal law in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Nicole has gained a reputation as a zealous, aggressive defender who fervently fights for her clients.
Nicole has extensive experience handling serious and complex matters. She has handled homicides, numerous high-profile media cases, drug offenses, sex crimes, firearm offenses, as well as DUIs and juvenile offenses. Nicole has represented clients throughout the various stages of our criminal court system including State and Federal criminal appeals, juvenile homicide resentencings, and postconviction relief matters.
Although Nicole has spent most of her career as a defense attorney, she initially worked as a prosecutor for over 3 years at the State Attorney’s Office in Broward County, the second largest State Attorney’s Office in Florida. Nicole rose to be a lead felony prosecutor handling first degree felony cases ranging from kidnapping to armed robberies and attempted murders. During her time at the State Attorney’s Office, Nicole was selected to serve as a member of the State Attorney’s Office’s hiring committee. This committee is comprised of a small group of prosecutors who are selected based on their elite level of trial advocacy skills. To date, Nicole is the youngest prosecutor to have served on that committee.
In addition to having tried approximately 40 jury trials to verdict, Nicole has briefed several criminal appellate matters and presented oral argument before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Having spent the entirety of her legal career in the courtroom, Nicole prides herself as a creative, effective, and confident litigator. She has been recognized as a Rising Star by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers rating service in 2021, 2022, and 2023. This recognition is awarded to no more than 2.5% of attorneys in Florida who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement in their area of practice.
Nicole is a native Spanish speaker having spent her childhood between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She was born in New York and will always remain a New Yorker at heart. Nicole is a graduate of the University of Central Florida where she majored in Criminal Justice. As the daughter of a U.S. Marshal assigned to the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic, Nicole spent a part of her high school years living in Santo Domingo and graduated from the Carol Morgan School, an international college preparatory school. Nicole is passionate about exploring new countries and cultures. She and her husband, a fellow Tampa-area criminal defense attorney, are Miami Heat superfans and parents to two toddlers, a 2-year old boy and a 2-year old Moyen poodle named Lupe.