After completing his Law degree with Honours from Murdoch University, David Nicholson did his articles training with Parker & Parker (now Freehills) and was admitted to practice in 1997. He subsequently undertook and completed a Doctoral Thesis at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands. His thesis was on Environmental Dispute Resolution, focusing on a comparative study of environmental mediation and litigation. His Doctoral degree was conferred in January 2005.
Mr Nicholson joined McLeods in January 2004 and became a partner in July 2012.