Connecticut Real Estate Litigation Lawyer

Attorney Nickse grew up in Newtown, Connecticut and has resided in Fairfield County, Connecticut for most of her life. She received her undergraduate degree from Bucknell University and earned her juris doctor degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law. After graduating in 2007, Attorney Nickse practiced law at a boutique general practice firm in Fairfield County where a dozen other attorneys surrounding her were eager to share their experience while giving her immediate firsthand experience in all areas of practice as well as lead counsel roles on various cases. Six years later, Attorney Nickse opened S.B. Nickse Law Offices, LLC, where she continues to offer her services to clients between Main Street and Wall Street. Attorney Nickse has actively managed litigation for a prestigious Fortune 100 bank, skillfully reviewing contracts and claims and negotiating with opposing counsel representing consumer litigants, bankruptcy trustees, vendors, and insurance carriers to reach favorable settlements, resolve indemnification and coverage issues, and generally protect the bank’s interests. She is also adept as representing local parties. She is a resource for out of state clients, lawyers and firms needing local counsel for matters in Connecticut. Over her career, Attorney Nickse has handled a wide range of litigation and arbitration matters in Connecticut, including various contract, tort, real property, and housing disputes. In addition, Attorney Nickse has extensive experience in providing various alternative dispute resolution services.  In her role as ADR neutral, Attorney Nickse draws on her deep experience in handling litigation and arbitration matters, as well as the settlement and resolution of hundreds of cases. She is adept at negotiating various contracts.

Attorney Nickse is admitted to practice in Connecticut state and federal courts as well as in New York.

The Business Litigation Practice of Stephanie Nickse

Attorney Nickse represents clients in various types of commercial litigation matters:

Business Disputes

Attorney Nickse has extensive experience in handling a wide range of business disputes, including breach of contract cases, shareholder and partnership disputes, trade secret litigation, disputes relating to business torts, unfair trade practices, and more.

A prominent Connecticut law firm filed an alleged business partner dispute in Superior Court claiming declaratory judgment, breach of contract, breach of implied in fact contract, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, Connecticut Uniform Securities Act violation, accounting, promissory estoppel, and unjust enrichment against a client. Weeks before trial, the lawsuit was withdrawn against Attorney Nickse’s client.

Banking Litigation

Through her role as an attorney for a large national bank and through her private practice, Attorney Nickse has substantial experience in handling claims involving banks and other financial institutions, including Fair Debt Collection Practice Act, Telephone Call Protection Act, state specific laws and more.

Attorney Nickse is also very experienced in Connecticut foreclosure defense, sometimes referred to as consumer finance litigation. She has represented dozens if not hundreds of property owners facing foreclosure. Clients facing or in foreclosure have modified their loans, reinstated their loans, obtained funds from Connecticut’s Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program, and obtained alternative loans to save their homes. Attorney Nickse has also defended foreclosure actions and won dismissals for clients. In other situations, clients have benefitted from guided foreclosures, ending in outcomes such as home sales or stipulated judgements and relief from deficiencies as well as cash upon vacating these properties.

Commercial Litigation

Attorney Nickse has successfully handled a wide variety of cases in commercial litigation. For example, in 2024, Attorney Nickse won a motion to dismiss a commercial lawsuit that was filed against her out of state clients after plaintiff obtained an exparte prejudgment remedy attaching a significant amount of money in a bank account. The plaintiff voluntarily released the bank funds after the motion to dismiss was granted.

Real Property Litigation

Real property cases, especially between abutting property owners, are often very litigious. Whether the matter involves quite title, adverse possession, easements, trespass, private nuisance, illegal tree cutting or other causes of action, Attorney Nickse is well versed in analyzing these claims and finding creative solutions as well as zealously litigating them when necessary.

Housing aka Landlord-Tenant Litigation

Landlords are often faced with the difficult decision to remove tenants from properties when they are not paid rent, tenants are creating an unsafe or hostile environment for others, the property suffers serious damage, or the landlord’s personal circumstances simply change. Landlords need tenants out as quickly and efficiently as possible. Landlords need the property back in the best condition possible. Connecticut’s housing laws have changed since the Pandemic and missteps in landlord’s evictions could mean the tenants stay put. Attorney Nickse’s approach to evictions is thorough and time sensitive.

From time to time, tenants also face difficult housing circumstances which require legal representation. Depending on the circumstances, Attorney Nickse will also represent those tenants in need.

Pre-Litigation Negotiations and Resolutions

Pre-suit disputes are handled with equal analysis and experience by Attorney Nickse. In one instance, a well-established Connecticut business client was dropped by its marketing company after discovering bad publicity about this client contrary to its business policy. The client suffered a significant financial hit. Although many alternatives were considered and the client given the opportunity to make an informed decision based on legal options, Attorney Nickse’s strategic communication with the reporter of the bad publicity convinced the reporter to remove the bad publicity, thus unwinding the marking company’s decision to stop doing business with the client.

In another instance, a demand letter to a competing business to cease and desist illegally soliciting a client’s customers was ignored. Thereafter, a case was placed into suit and an injunction entered against the offending parties and they paid the client to settle the matter along with the entry of a permanent injunction against them.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Services Provided by Stephanie Nickse

Attorney Nickse is an experienced alternative dispute resolution neutral, providing services through various forms of ADR:

Arbitrations

Attorney Nickse has been selected as an arbitrator for numerous cases and she is on the roster of qualified arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association (AAA). In addition to arbitrations that are administered through AAA, Attorney Nickse is available to conduct private arbitrations, through which parties to a dispute enter into a private arbitration agreement and submit their dispute to Attorney Nickse for handling and for the issuance of an award deciding the dispute.

Attorney Nickse is equally experienced in representing parties, complainants, or respondents, in arbitrations and mediations. These proceedings are confidential unless/until an award is filed with the superior court. On these occasions, parties are often looking for the award to be made a judgment for post judgment collection.

Early Neutral Evaluations

An early neutral evaluation is a form of alternative dispute resolution by which the parties, through counsel, present their cases in a summary fashion to an ADR neutral, who then provides feedback to the parties and their counsel concerning the strengths and weaknesses of their positions. The neutral’s evaluation is intended to foster productive settlement discussions, either between or among the parties and their counsel directly or with the involvement of the neutral serving in a mediator role.