Born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Nicole F. Bednarek grew up in a blue-collar family and was the first child on her father’s side to attend college. She regularly worked multiple jobs to support herself through college and law school, an experience that still shapes the way she works with clients today. She believes people deserve to feel heard, supported and informed about what’s happening and what they can expect next.

Today, Nicole’s practice focuses largely on education law, labor and employment matters, adoption and estate work. In her education law practice, she represents school districts, working closely with school boards and administrators to provide day-to-day legal guidance on policies, student discipline, employment issues and the many other situations that arise while running a school district. With educators in her own family, it’s an area of law Nicole has long been drawn to.

Nicole has become an important part of Slusser Law Firm’s work with school districts and other public entities, where her legal experience and ability to connect with people go hand in hand. She understands that even highly technical legal issues ultimately affect real people, and she works to make sure clients understand their options, feel comfortable asking questions and have the guidance they need to make difficult decisions.

That same people-first approach carries into her adoption work, an area of law that is especially meaningful to Nicole. She has extensive experience handling adoptions and has presented at trainings and conferences on adoption law. For Nicole, every adoption begins and ends with the best interest of the child, and she considers helping families create a safe, supportive environment for a child one of the most rewarding parts of her practice.

Nicole brings a broad legal background to Slusser Law Firm. Throughout her career, she has worked in criminal defense, administrative and child welfare law, workers’ compensation, personal injury and Social Security matters. She spent several years working with the Social Security Administration, giving her firsthand experience with the federal system and the issues clients may encounter when pursuing Social Security disability benefits. She has also served as a school district solicitor, represented Luzerne County Children and Youth, handled estates and spent several years as an Administrative Law Judge. 

After years of public-sector and administrative work, Nicole chose to return to private practice with Slusser Law Firm, where she can draw on that varied experience while working alongside attorneys across multiple areas of law. That collaborative environment gives her additional resources to help clients while allowing her to focus on the areas of practice that have become most meaningful to her.

Nicole graduated cum laude from Bloomsburg University with a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology before earning her Juris Doctorate from Penn State Dickinson School of Law. There, she was a member of the Trial Advocacy Team and graduated in the top third of her class. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and is admitted to practice in the Middle District Court of Pennsylvania. 

Outside the office, Nicole stays busy with her two teenage sons and their activities, her three Boxers and traveling whenever she gets the chance. And when baseball season rolls around, you can usually find her cheering for, or occasionally yelling at, the Phillies.