About Cody Nagle

Tacoma isn't just where I practice law — it's home.

Home, By Choice

Why Tacoma

I was born and raised in Seattle, and when my husband retired from the Navy after being stationed in Virginia, choosing where to put down roots again wasn't really a question. Tacoma was it.

It wasn't just the mountain views or the water, though I won't pretend those didn't help. It was the memory of a community that showed up for me during some of the hardest days of my life. Giving back to Tacoma by offering accessible, affordable and competent legal help to my neighbors and community is what this firm is about.

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Why I Practice the Way I Do

Whether someone is consulting with me for the first time or our quarterly review session after years of partnership, they're almost always at a milestone. Starting a business, growing a family, clearing a record to move forward in their career, or simply trying to get their affairs in order so the people they love aren't left guessing. Those moments all point the same direction. Forward.

That's why my practice centers on the future-facing side of law. I can assist with estate planning that protects the people you care about, business formation and contracts that give entrepreneurs band small business owners a solid foundation to build on, and conviction vacates and post-conviction relief that clear the way for someone to move ahead without their past holding the door shut. Different practice areas, same underlying question: how can I help you plan and act with your future in mind.

My Story

My path to law started long before law school. I struggled with substance use disorder from a young age and spent much of my teens and early twenties cycling through treatment centers and jails across Western Washington. In 2012, I completed Pierce County's drug court program, where I was sworn in to the practice of law in 2024, by the same judge who oversaw my case twelve years earlier. Read the story →

That experience taught me something I carry into every case I take: a person's past doesn't have to define what's possible for their future. I know what it's like to feel stuck; boxed in by a record, a diagnosis, or a chapter of your life you've already worked hard to move past. After years of struggling to find meaningful work myself as a result of my criminal record, I committed to helping others do what I had to learn how to do. Plan for the future, not just survive the past.

I hold a Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law, and I'm licensed to practice in Washington State and the District of Columbia as well as the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. I served as one of the first (possibly the first) formerly incarcerated people to hold a career position in the Executive Office of the President, serving under the Biden Administration as a policy and outreach advisor at the Office of National Drug Control Policy. While there, I advised the drug czar using my own experience to help shape national drug policy and connect diverse groups working on the overdose epidemic. I've also worked as a legislative attorney, researching and drafting legislation on drug policy and the criminal legal system.

Most recently I worked as a staff attorney at Civil Survival, a civil legal aid organization focused on helping people overcome barriers to reentry after incarceration. I specialized in vacating criminal convictions, relieving legal financial obligation and criminal restitution debt, registry relief for those convicted of sex offenses, and educating the public and HR professionals about employment discrimination

My Work Today

Alongside my private practice, I advise state agencies and local nonprofits on reentry and substance use law and policy and the barriers people face after incarceration. I was recently appointed to the Governor's Statewide Court Unification Task Force, created under HB 1909, where I offer my lived experience in an effort to study the impact and feasibility of unifying the state's court system.

I currently serve as a board member and Board Counsel for the Association of Recovery Schools, a national nonprofit that expands access to recovery supports in public and private high schools nationwide — giving young people the best chance at a future free from substance use disorder.

I also serve as the Treasurer of the Benefits Law Center, is a Seattle-based legal aid organization working with King County residents to ensure they receive appropriate government benefits.

I also speak nationally on reentry, employment and hiring for justice-impacted people, and substance use disorder.

When I'm not working, you'll usually find me with a knitting project or a good book, or traveling with my husband and our three kids.