Mr. Nicora graduated from Stanford University and the Hastings College of Law. He is the Founder and Partner of the Law Offices of Nicora & Minor LLP. Mr. Nicora has served as an attorney practicing civil litigation, business law and estate planning for more than twenty six years. He offers experience in handling a wide variety of major and multiparty corporate litigation, including contract matters, breach of partnership, corporate fiduciary obligation matters and commercial disputes. Also, he is a licensed California Real Estate Broker.

Since 1975, he has also served as a California Probate Referee for the Superior Court. He was originally appointed as a Probate Referee in his hometown of Oakland, California, where he served the courts of Alameda County. After moving his family to Monterey, he was appointed by the State Controller to serve the Monterey County Courts in 1991 and has served in that capacity since then. The court frequently appoints Mr. Nicora to serve as special master, special trustee or referee in difficult matters. He is an expert in probates, conservatorships, trust matters, and estate planning.

A frequent public speaker on numerous topics, Mr. Nicora is frequently invited to talk regarding estate planning before community groups. These talks include various charitable giving alternatives available to potential donors. He also has written and published articles in professional and trade association periodicals.

Community service includes numerous roles at the Carmel Mission where each of his four daughters have attended grade school. He coordinated the fundraising plan for the recently completed Murphy Center at the Carmel Mission and has served on the annual fundraising event committee for ten years. Mr. Nicora’s wife, Melanie, is equally active in community affairs, having served as Junior League President, number of National Charity Leagues and regular committee member at the Carmel Mission’s Junipero Serra School and Santa Catalina School. This coming year, daughter Stephanie will be a senior at Barnard University in New York. Catherine will be a freshman studying theater arts at New York University. Jackie will be attending Stevenson High School as a freshman, and our youngest daughter Maria will attend seventh grade at the Carmel Mission Junipero Serra School.