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Nickole Miller
Associate Professor of Law
Director of the Joan and Lyle Middleton Center for Children's Rights
Expertise: Juvenile Law, Immigration Law, Family Law, Clinical Legal Education and Experiential Learning
Education
JD, DePaul University College of Law
BA, Columbia University
Experience
- Drake Law School professor since 2021
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Law and Interim Director of the Bronfein Family Law Clinic, University of Baltimore School of Law
- Clinical Teaching Fellow, Immigrant Rights Clinic and Saul Ewing Civil Advocacy Clinic, University of Baltimore School of Law
- Managing Attorney, Immigrant Defenders Law Center in Los Angeles, California
- Staff Attorney, Public Counsel in Los Angeles, California
Selected Publications
- Accommodating Childhood in Immigration Removal Proceedings, University of Illinois Law Review (forthcoming 2026).
- Trump’s new rules against asylum seekers are dire. They must be challenged., Op-Ed, The Washington Post, June 19, 2020.
- Ending family separation is not enough; stop detaining families indefinitely, Op-Ed, The Baltimore Sun, June 22, 2018.
Significant Accomplishments
- Treasurer, Clinical Legal Education Association (July 2025 – Present).
- Co-Organizer and Supervising Attorney, Annual LGBTQ+ Pro Se Clinic at Drake Law School (Spring 2025, 2024, and 2023).
- Member, North Central Regional Board of the Gault Center (January 2024 – Present).
- Member, Advisory Council, Iowa Children’s Justice (August 2021 – Present).
- Member, Iowa Task Force for Young Women, Iowa Health & Human Services (January 2022 – Present).
- KC. v. Iowa Dist. Ct. for Polk Cnty., 6 N.W.3d 297 (Iowa 2024), as amended (July 9, 2024).
- Fearless Children’s Lawyer Award, American Bar Association (Feb. 2023).
- Bianka M. v. Superior Ct., 5 Cal. 5th 1004 (2018).
Biography
Professor Nickole Miller (she/her) directs the Children’s Rights Clinic and Middleton Center for Children’s Rights at Drake Law School. Her practice, advocacy, and teaching focus on improving legal representation and outcomes for children and youth in the juvenile justice, child welfare, and immigration systems. Her research and scholarship center and elevate youth voice and agency.
Prior to joining the Drake faculty, Professor Miller was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law and Clinical Teaching Fellow at the University of Baltimore School of Law. She started her legal career in Southern California where she worked with Public Counsel and the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. There she defended children in deportation proceedings, represented youth before the California Supreme Court, California Courts of Appeal and the Board of Immigration Appeals, and drafted state legislation to enhance protections for unaccompanied minors.
Professor Miller received her BA from Columbia University and graduated cum laude from DePaul University College of Law with a certificate in Public Interest Law. She is a national leader in experiential education and serves on the Executive Board for the Clinical Legal Education Association. She is a member of the LGBTQ+ Bar Family Law Institute and National Lawyers Guild and serves as the faculty advisor for OUTlaws and the Youth Law Society at Drake.
