Nellie L. King

Bio

Nellie L. King served as the President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) in 2022. NACDL’s mission is to identify and reform flaws and inequities in the criminal legal system, redress systemic racism, and ensure that its members are fully equipped to serve all accused persons at the highest level. King also served as President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL) in 2011.

The owner of The Law Offices of Nellie L. King, P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida, King is known for her zealous and impassioned advocacy for clients and the community. She has handled many complex, high stakes, and high-profile cases in state and federal courts. In addition to serving in numerous state and national leadership roles, she lectures nationally on criminal defense and constitutional topics.

King has received numerous honors, including the 2024 David King Defender of Democracy Award from the League of Women Voters of Florida. This award recognized NACDL’s implementation of the Task Force on the Criminalization of Voting, which developed training initiatives and a lawyer recruitment strategy to combat the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of returning citizens for exercising their voting rights. King was presented in 2023 with the University of Mary Washington Alumni of Distinction Award in recognition of her significant professional accomplishments and for bringing honor to the University. In 2012, UMW presented King with its Distinguished Alumnus Award. King was nominated for the 2023 Leadership Excellence Award by Leadership Palm Beach County for notable contributions to improving and impacting her local community. King received the 2022 Harriette S. Glasner Award from the Palm Beach County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLU-FL). King was bestowed the award for her dedication to improving the criminal legal system, fighting for the underserved, advocating for open access to public records, and demanding law enforcement transparency and accountability. King is also the recipient of the 2017 Women in Leadership Award, Private Sector, from the Executive Women of the Palm Beaches. King’s nomination was based on her efforts to recruit volunteers for President Barack Obama’s clemency initiative through the program Clemency Project 2014. This clemency effort sought to right the wrongs of inequitable sentencing policies implemented in the “war on drugs.”

King attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where served on its Alumni Board of Directors from 2010 - 2014. While attending Mary Washington, King served as President of the Honor Council for two terms, a position which piqued her interest in the law. King received her JD from Nova Southeastern University Law School, where she won the Feinrider Moot Court Competition, as well as various trial advocacy awards, for her oratory skills and courtroom presence.

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