About Nicole
Nicole Crites studied at the University of Florida, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2007 and returned to complete her law degree at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2015. While in law school she volunteered for the Guardian Ad Litem Program in 2014, working directly with children and courts. After graduation she served as a certified legal intern in 2018 for the State Attorney’s Office in Florida’s 8th Judicial Circuit, gaining courtroom exposure and experience in prosecution work and case preparation.
Her early career moved through several regional firms. In 2020 she joined Portnoy Garner & Nail LLC as an associate lawyer. The next year she moved to Stearns-Montgomery & Proctor, continuing to expand her practice experience. In 2022 she spent time as an associate at Aaron Thomas Law and later that year stepped into a leadership role at The Crites Firm as managing partner. Those positions offered repeated opportunities to handle litigation, manage client files and supervise case strategy.
Crites holds current memberships in both the State Bar of Florida and the State Bar of Georgia, and she is licensed to practice in both jurisdictions. Her background includes public-sector work and private practice, which together have shaped her approach to client service. The Guardian Ad Litem work early in her career gave her direct experience working with vulnerable clients and interfacing with multidisciplinary teams. The certified legal internship exposed her to the mechanics of trial preparation and courtroom procedure in a prosecutorial setting.
Colleagues describe her as methodical in case management and practical in courtroom preparation. Her time at multiple firms provided varied docket exposure, from preliminary hearings through motions practice. She has handled case investigation, discovery planning and client counseling across matters in Georgia and Florida courts. Those experiences inform how she evaluates risk and advises clients on procedural steps.
She became managing partner at The Crites Firm in 2022 and oversees firm operations while maintaining a caseload. The firm handles matters in both Florida and Georgia and draws on her experience in litigation and court processes. She continues to split her time between courtroom work, client meetings and managing the firm’s practice infrastructure.
Her current practice focuses on representing clients in state courts across Florida and Georgia and on managing the operations and casework of The Crites Firm.
