Nicole Grida, Esq.
Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemgrida
About The Lecturer
Nicole M. Grida is a trial lawyer by trade who has extensive trial and litigation experience in state and federal courts having tried numerous premises liability, automobile liability, and workers’ compensation cases to verdict throughout Tennessee. On June 1, 2024, Ms. Grida joined Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc. (MALS) as the Chief Executive Officer. In this role, she relies upon her leadership, collaboration, and legal skills to ensure MALS continues to provide excellence in legal advocacy for those in need while finding innovative ways to protect the legal rights of low-income citizens in the Western Tennessee counties of Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, and Lauderdale.
A native of Hellertown, Pennsylvania and Memphian by choice, Ms. Grida attended Temple University graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science. She then attended The University of College of Law where she earned her Juris Doctorate with a Concentration in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution.
Since 2006, CEO Grida has represented clients in toxic tort, product liability, premises liability, personal injury, property damage, and general civil litigation matters in state and federal courts in the Mid-South and beyond. Prior to joining MALS, she was a Partner at Bowman and Brooke, LLP, a national trial firm where she focused her practice on the defense of corporate clients in product liability, toxic tort, and general civil litigation matters. Before returning to private practice in 2022, Ms. Grida handled personal injury and property damage matters across the country as an in-house attorney for International Paper Company (IP). Prior to joining IP in 2017, she spent over a decade representing individuals, professionals, and businesses in premises liability, products liability, automobile negligence, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, workers’ compensation, and other general civil litigation matters throughout Tennessee during her time as associate attorney at Leitner Williams Dooley and Napolitan, PLC, a regional insurance defense law firm, as a field counsel for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, and as a staff counsel for Zurich North America.
Ms. Grida has held numerous national leadership positions and served a 2-year term as the International Justice (Board President) of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, the largest legal fraternity in the world. She served on the P.A.D. Board of Directors for four (4) years prior to leading the organization. On a statewide level, CEO Grida has served on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) since 2019 and is currently a member of the TALS Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Tennessee Bar Association where she serves on the TBA Access to Justice Committee. In June 2024, the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Fellows elected Nicole to serve as the Treasurer for the 2024-2025 bar year. She is also an active member of the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association, the Association for Women Attorneys, and the Memphis Bar Association where she currently serves on several committees including as the Chair of the MBA Publications Committee.
Practice Area(s)
Trial
Litigation
Workers Compensation
Personal Injury and Negligence
Education
B.A., English and Political Science, Temple University
J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law
