About Della
Della Nelson began her academic journey in Springfield, earning an A.A. from Springfield College in Illinois in 1977. She moved on to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where she completed a B.A. in psychology in 1979 and a J.D. in 1981. The combination of psychology and law set a foundation for a career that has alternated between courtroom work and public service.
Her early legal work was in private practice. In 1984 she joined Heckenkamp, Simhauser & Drake, P.C., then moved to Sorling, Northrup, Hanna, Cullen & Cochran, Ltd. in 1988. That same year she also served in Sangamon County in an assistant state lawyer role. Those years offered hands-on experience in case preparation and courtroom procedure.
In the mid-1990s Nelson took on roles in government and regional courts. She served as a deputy district lawyer for the Thirteenth Judicial District in 1995. The experience expanded her exposure to trial dockets and judicial administration. After that, she returned to private practice and worked at several firms through the late 1990s. Records show roles at firms that included Markusson, Green & Jarvis, PC and Montgomery, Green, Jarvis, Kolodny & Markusson, PC in 1996, then at Grund & Breslau, PC in 1997.
Her career entered a new phase in 2003 when she became a partner at Grund, Dagner & Nelson, PC. Partnership brought new responsibilities: overseeing case strategy, mentoring junior lawyers and participating in firm management. Those duties laid the groundwork for the next step — operating her own firm.
Nelson later established Nelson Law Offices, LLC, where she serves as owner and lawyer. The move to her own practice allowed her to shape the office’s caseload and workflow. Colleagues and clients describe her as steady in court and exacting in preparation. She also maintains professional ties beyond her firm; she holds current membership in the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association.
Throughout a multi-decade career, Nelson has alternated between public roles and private practice, accumulating a range of trial and litigation experience. She now leads Nelson Law Offices, LLC, where her practice centers on trial work and litigation.
