Andrea Nikolai represents local government entities and their employees in tort and civil rights litigation.  Since her admission to the Illinois Bar in November 2014, she has focused her law practice on civil defense litigation. Prior to joining HCB, she practiced trucking litigation, premises liability, correctional healthcare, and medical malpractice at Chicago-based litigation firms. Andrea is admitted to practice in all Illinois state courts and federal courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois and Western and Eastern Districts of Wisconsin.

She graduated cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2014. While in law school, Andrea received a CALI Award for Excellence in Legal Writing.  She was an editor of Chicago-Kent’s Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Seventh Circuit Review, in which she published an article analyzing gender as a particular social group for asylum relief.  Andrea served as a judicial extern for Judge John P. Kirby of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Law Division, and for Judge Joan H. Lefkow of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  She also served as a legal extern for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Andrea holds leadership roles in the Illinois State Bar Association, including as a member of the Tort Law Section and editor of its publication, Illinois Bar Journal.  She is also a member of Illinois Defense Counsel.