Since 2008, Adele Nicholas has been working as a civil rights advocate in Chicago and the surrounding communities.

She has successfully prosecuted many notable constitutional cases, including Koger v. Thomas Dart, in which the court found a ban on newspapers in the Cook County Jail violated the First Amendment; Norton v. City of Springfield, in which the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals found unconstitutional an ordinance banning panhandling in downtown Springfield, Illinois, and Goudy v. Evans, which required the Circuit Court of Cook County to provide prompt probable cause hearings to juvenile detainees held in custody on weekends and holidays. 

Adele currently serves as the executive director of Illinois Voices for Reform, which advocates for rational, evidence-based sex offense laws and provides education and resources to persons impacted by public conviction registries and their loved ones.

Outside of work, Adele enjoys writing songs and playing with several local bands. Her band recently released an album inspired by the true story of an infamous Chicago prison break.