John R. Nicholson
Associate Attorney
John@SSSLawGroup.com
John began his legal career as an Assistant Attorney General with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. For eleven years, he worked in the Office’s Torts Division defending state agencies, colleges, and universities in civil rights, personal injury, wrongful death, and employment lawsuits. As a tort litigator for the State, John honed his skills in all aspects of civil litigation, including discovery and depositions, dispositive motion practice, and mediation, and trials in both state and federal courts. He is an experienced appellate advocate, having previously argued before all three divisions of the Court of Appeals and the Washington Supreme Court. He has also successfully litigated federal appeals in the Ninth Circuit. During his last two years as an Assistant Attorney General, John worked at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus providing legal representation and advice to the leadership of UW Medicine, which includes the UW School of Medicine, UW Medical Center, and Harborview Medical Center.
John’s areas of focus there included quality improvement, risk management, employment, credentialing and privileging of healthcare professionals, graduate medical education, HIPAA and patient privacy issues, hospital licensure and accreditation, and healthcare affiliations and business transactions. He also has experience as a neutral, having served as an arbitrator in King County Superior Court, as well as a hearing officer in matters involving hospital medical staff privileges. In 2013, John went into private practice but has continued to focus on defending and advising public entities, including state agencies, municipalities, and school districts. He has enjoyed defending government clients and public servants in all types of litigation over the course of his career.
Outside of work, John is an avid gardener and a novice beekeeper.