Plunkett Cooney partner and Litigation Department Leader Courtney L. Nichols was recently named by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of the news publication’s 2026 Notable Women in Law.

Nichols, along with 51 other female attorneys, were included in the 2026 class of Notable Women in Law for their work in establishing legal precedents, for relentlessly pursuing justice and for winning big cases on behalf of their clients. Honorees were also selected for their efforts to mentor the next generation of women in law and for their philanthropic endeavors. The Class of 2026 are featured in today’s print and digital editions of Crain’s Detroit Business.

Since joining the firm in 2011, Nichols has built a successful employment law practice. She serves as outside employment law counsel to numerous Michigan companies, and she defends employers in workplace-related litigation through their insurance providers.

Throughout her career with the firm, Nichols has held several management positions. A former co-leader of Plunkett Cooney’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, she currently serves as the firm’s Litigation Department leader. She is also a member of the firm’s Strategic Planning, Retirement and Salary and Bonus committees, and she serves as general counsel for employment law issues on behalf of the firm.

Nichols is a member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office where she focuses her litigation practice in the area of employment law, including the defense of discrimination, retaliation and civil rights claims. She provides counsel to employers of all sizes regarding complicated employment and labor issues prior to litigation, including compliance with the ADA, FMLA and FLSA. Nichols also assists clients with drafting and enforcing employment policies and contractual agreements.

Nichols was recently selected as a Best Lawyer in America® for Employment Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation and as Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyer magazine for Employment & Labor. In 2024, DBusiness Magazine named Nichols among its 30 in Their Thirties business leaders, and in 2023 Crain’s Detroit Business named her a Notable Leader in Employment & Labor Law. Nichols was also honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2025 Influential Woman of Law and as a 2021 Go To Employment Lawyer and 2015 Up & Coming Lawyer.

Admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Michigan, Nichols is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and she serves as vice chair of the Labor & Employment Law Practice Group of ALFA International, a global consortium of law firms. She received her law degree, cum laude, from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011 and her undergraduate degree from the James Madison College at Michigan State University in 2008.

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney is a leading provider of business law and litigation services to clients in the private and public sectors. The firm employs attorneys in seven Michigan cities, Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Plunkett Cooney has received the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading peer review service, as well as recognition by Best Lawyers as one of the nation’s leading law firms. The firm has also received Mansfield Rule Certification Plus 2024-2025 for midsize law firms, which recognizes leaders in diversity, equity and inclusion within the legal industry.

For more information about Courtney Nichols’ selection by Crain’s Detroit Business as a 2026 Notable Woman in Law, contact John Cornwell of the firm’s Practice Development Department at (248) 901-4008; jcornwell@plunkettcooney.com.

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