Laid-Off Associate Joins Computer Hacking Community

At one point, and not too long ago, Nicolle Neulist was following a fairly traditional legal career path. She earned her J.D. and landed a position doing bankruptcy work at Locke Lord in Chicago.

But Neulist's path was interrupted two months ago when she became a victim of BigLaw layoffs.

Rather than being devastated by the circumstances, Neulist was left "very happily unemployed," according to Medill Reports, which recently published a profile of Neulist.

“They gave me a pile of money and told me to leave,” she told the student-run publication. “They did me a favor.”

With her law firm shackles removed, Neulist rekindled a connection to her long-lost passion, computer science. Neulist had already laid the groundwork for a transition to an established hacking community—Pumping Station 1—while at Locke Lord, notes Medill Reports.

She'd done some pro bono work for Pumping Station 1, helping it to incorporate as a not-for-profit, aimed at exploring novel applications of technology.

And in this forced transition, Neulist may have found a niche that combines her interest in law and computer innovation.

“It just hit me like a ton of bricks that most of these hackers and hacker spaces don’t even know a lawyer,” Neulist said, referring to a hacker conference she attended during which she was approached repeatedly about "random legal issues."