Nakisha N. Chaney, a lecturer at Michigan Law, is an attorney of counsel at Salvatore Prescott Porter & Porter. She specializes in civil rights and employment law, and also serves as a mediator and independent investigator.
Chaney has committed her career to the pursuit of civil rights and social justice, handling matters involving human trafficking, police misconduct, prison abuse, and discrimination in employment and education.
She also has authored several publications on civil rights and human trafficking litigation, including co-authoring the “Civil Rights Damages” chapter in the book Damages and Remedies in Michigan (Institute of Continuing Education, 2018). She also serves as faculty for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and teaches Civil Rights Litigation and Depositions at the University of Toledo College of Law.
Super Lawyers and the National Black Lawyers Top 100 have recognized Chaney for her legal advocacy. In 2018, the Washtenaw County Bar Association awarded her the Martin L. King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” Award. In 2020, Chaney, along with her co-counsel in the prison sexual abuse case, were recognized as finalists for the nationally prestigious Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. In 2023, Chaney received the Litigator of the Year Award from the Human Trafficking Legal Center. The same year, she received the Hero of ADR Award from the State Bar of Michigan Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.
Outside her legal practice, Chaney is a volunteer mediator at the Washtenaw County Dispute Resolution Center, vice chair of the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County’s Board of Directors, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Chaney’s journey was not made alone. At Oberlin College, she met her husband, Adisa N. Chaney. They are the proud parents of two young adults and the owner of one spunky dog, Jasper.