Sheila Nielsen, M.S.W., J.D. is a leader in the field of career counseling. She began her practice counseling attorneys and now also works with a wide variety of clients from other professional backgrounds.  To date, she has counseled over 1800 clients, some flying to Chicago from out-of-state to work with her.

Her articles have appeared in the CBA Record, Ohio Lawyer, and New York Law School Law Review. She contributed to two ABA books for lawyers, Breaking Traditions and Living with the Law: Strategies to Avoid Burnout and Create Balance. Illinois Legal Times ran her columns for four years. Her columns focus on a wide variety of career issues. Ms. Nielsen's columns now appear in publications across the nation including Legal Times of Washington D.C., The Detroit Legal News, Florida Bar Journal, Illinois State Bar Association Journal, and many others..

Ms. Nielsen is both a trained social worker and attorney. She received her masters degree in Social Service from Bryn Mawr in 1973, and her J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1977. After law school she worked as a criminal prosecutor for six years, first in state court as an Assistant District Attorney, then at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago. She also served on the hiring committee of the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In 1983 Ms. Nielsen convinced the U.S. Attorney's Office to allow her to work a reduced hour schedule after the birth of her first child. In 1983 she also became one of the founders of the Part-Time Lawyer's Network of the Chicago Bar Association. She chaired that organization from 1984-1987, and became the Project Co-Coordinator of that group from 1987-1988. From 1988-1990 Ms. Nielsen was the Executive Director of the national association, Lawyers for Alternative Work Schedules (LAWS).

In 1990 Ms. Nielsen developed her own counseling and consulting service specializing in attorneys. Nielsen Career Consulting Service offers career counseling and ongoing coaching services for professionals as well as outplacement and executive coaching to enhance success when law firms want to retain valued partners and associates. Ms. Nielsen's counseling service assists clients to assess career path options, to decide whether to leave or stay in a current situation, to conduct effective job searches, to develop alternative career path and work-time options, and coaching to enhance career development and advancement.

In 1994, she received an award from the Part-Time Lawyer's Network of the Chicago Bar Association for her commitment to alternative work options. In 1995 she was retained by De Paul to counsel students in need of in depth career counseling. In 1997 Ms. Nielsen was retained by the Chicago Bar Association to do a series of career counseling seminars for CBA members focusing on career development. In 2001 Ms. Nielsen received the Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award from her alma mater, Lake Forest College for her contribution to the field of career counseling and coaching.

Ms. Nielsen has been an invited speaker across the country at dozens of schools and ABA, NALP, and other conferences. Ms. Nielsen speaks on a variety of career topics including: coaching for success, midlife career transition, career enhancement, marketing strategies, avoiding stress and burnout, balancing work and family, time management, organization, job search strategies, interviewing skills, and alternative work-time options.