Nancy graduated from The Ohio State University in 1977 with a B.A. in English and in 1981 with her law degree. She was a hearing officer with the Ohio Bureau of Unemployment Compensation Board of Review.

After moving to South Carolina in 1988, she was an associate with Kermit King and practiced family law. In 1991, she began commuting to Greenville, SC and then Washington, DC where she practiced employment law with Thompson & Hutson.

In Washington, she advocated for the business community on Capitol Hill. She served as in-house employment counsel for Michelin Tire Corporation. She started her own firm in 1994 and concentrates in employment and family law. Nancy litigates in state and federal courts on behalf of employees. She counsels small to mid-size companies on how to appropriately hire, fire, and discipline employees so they "don't get sued by someone like me".

Nancy has been involved in the Lexington County Bar Association since 1996, serving as President in 2004. From 1996 - 2006, she served on the Boards of Palmetto Legal Services which merged into S.C. Centers for Equal Justice and now is called S.C. Legal Services. She served on the Board during a union campaign.