Overview

Alyse Nichols is a Partner in Lozano Smith's Walnut Creek Office. She represents clients across a broad range of education law matters, including student, governance, litigation, and general education.

Experience

Ms. Nichols’ labor and employement experience includes participating in certificated and classified employee disciplinary dismissal hearings as well as other administrative hearings such as those involving unfair practice charges, complaints of discrimination, and Title IX complaints. She also conducts investigations into labor and employment complaints on behalf of clients.

Her practice further includes advising and representing clients on a wide range of student matters, such as investigations, policy development, grade challenges, discrimination complaints, interdistrict transfers, and student discipline. Ms. Nichols has extensive experience guiding clients through complex suspension and expulsion proceedings—from the initial recommendation to the appeals process—and provides legal support to expulsion panels hearing expulsion cases.

In addition, Ms. Nichols advises clients on governance matters, including the management of large and complex California Public Records Act (CPRA) requests. Her experience includes drafting responses and developing strategy to overseeing document review and related litigation. She also counsels clients on California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) compliance, redistricting, and collaboration with demographers, and provides practical support on Brown Act issues such as agenda preparation, responding to complaints, and delivering Brown Act trainings.

Education

Ms. Nichols received her Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law, and earned Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and Spanish from Westmont College. While in law school, Ms. Nichols was a member of the USF Law Review, and the McAuliffe Honor Society, and served as President of the USF Law La Raza Student group.

Beginning January 1, 2025, Reports of Egregious Misconduct by Certificated Employees Must be Shared Directly with Prospective School Employers

By: Alyse Nichols, Eric Barba- 11/05/2024

Office of Public School Construction Addresses Prohibition of Piggyback Contracting for Permanent Modular Buildings

By: Arne Sandberg, Alyse Nichols- 07/23/2021

Episode 60 Changes to the California Public Records Act: What You Need to Know

By: Alyse Nichols- 03/30/2023

Effective 2023, the California Public Records Act ("CPRA") has a new statutory "home" within the Government Code. (See Gov. Code, § 7920.000 et seq.) While the Legislature has indicated this reorganization is not intended to change the CPRA substantively, the practical effects of this reorganization remain to be seen. In this Lozano Smith Podcast episode, host Sloan Simmons engages with Lozano Smith Partner, Manuel Martinez, and Senior Counsel, Alyse Pacheco Nichols, to discuss this statutory reorganization; guesses as to the Legislature's rationale for the reorganization; and how this reorganization will or will not effect the way public agencies response to CPRA requests.