Nancy received her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania where she was a member of the University’s varsity women's lacrosse team. During her sophomore year at Penn, Nancy interned with the Philadelphia District Attorney’soffice, and worked directly with the District Attorney (Edward G. Rendell – who later served as the Governor of Pennsylvania), researching and examining the overcrowding of Pennsylvania prisons. With an ignited interest in criminology, she took as many classes as possible on the subject.

After graduating with honors and a double degree in Classical Studies (Latin and Greek) and Italian, Nancy headed west to study law at UCLA. After her first year in law school, she worked as a summer clerk for the prestigious Los Angeles firm Hughes, Hubbard and Reed. During her second year, she worked as a clerk for the late honorable United States District Court Judge William Matthew Byrne, Jr., and the summer after her second year led to an internship at the office of Paul Hastings, Janofsky and Walker – one of the premier employment discrimination law firms in the nation. This resulted in Nancy’s permanent hire at the high-profile firm in the labor and employment law department.

As an Associate at Paul Hastings, Nancy represented employers in numerous aspects of employment law including class actions, wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment and labor-management litigation. Her clients included major financial institutions, retailers, technology companies, manufacturing companies and entertainment companies.

While working at Paul Hastings, Nancy either won or successfully negotiated deals on 100% of her federal discrimination cases. It was there that she developed a desire to take on complex cases in federal court, so she ended her four-year stint at Paul Hastings in exchange for behind-the-scenes prosecution experience. With that in mind, she interviewed with the United States Attorney’s Office and was hired as an Assistant United States Attorney specializing in the prosecution of violent crimes.