Cody Nagle · Attorney · Tacoma, Washington
Twenty arrests. Seven stints in inpatient treatment. Colleges that turned me away because of my record. Today I help Washingtonians clear their records, reclaim their rights, and build the life that comes after — because I’ve walked every step of that road myself.
Bar Admissions
Washington & D.C.
Education
Syracuse University Law
Federal Policy
White House ONDCP
Civil Legal Aid
Civil Survival Project
Lived Experience
Pierce County Drug Court
In the Press
KUOW · KING 5 · Cascade PBS
My Story
I grew up in Seattle and started using at 14. By my mid-twenties I had cycled through jails and treatment centers across Puget Sound, been homeless, and collected two felonies and a string of misdemeanors — every one of them tied to drugs.
In 2012, sitting on the floor of a Pierce County jail cell, a public defender offered me a choice: years in prison, or treatment court. A counselor across the street told me something I’d never heard: nobody could fix me anymore. It was up to me — and I could do it.
I chose the program. I finished it. I’ve been in recovery ever since.
The years after taught me how much a record costs you. I had to hunt for employers who wouldn’t run a background check. I found one at a small law firm, where a young attorney told me law school wasn’t as hard as what I’d already survived. She was right.
When I finally applied to college, more than one school rejected me because of my record. I kept applying. I earned my degree online, then started at Syracuse University College of Law in 2019, finishing while raising three young kids and running our family farm during my husband’s two-year Navy deployment.
After law school I became one of the first people with a felony conviction to serve in the Executive Office of the President, advising on drug policy at the White House. From there I worked as a legislative attorney in Washington, D.C., researching and drafting model laws on drug policy and criminal justice reform for legislators across the country.
In October 2024, I raised my right hand at the Pierce County Courthouse and was sworn into the Washington bar by Judge Ed Murphy — the same judge who oversaw my drug court case. The prosecutor and officers who once arrested me were in the room, cheering.
That’s the lawyer you get. Someone who knows the system from the inside of a cell and the inside of the White House — and who will never look at your file and see a lost cause.
How I Can Help
When the Washington Supreme Court struck down the state’s drug possession law in State v. Blake, hundreds of thousands of convictions going back to 1971 became eligible to be vacated and fees refunded. Blake affected my own record in six different jurisdictions — I navigated every one of them, and I can navigate yours. Most people who qualify still haven’t filed. Let’s change that.
Many Washington convictions can be vacated or sealed once you’ve met the waiting period and conditions. I’ll review your record, tell you plainly what qualifies, and handle the petitions from start to finish.
A conviction doesn’t have to mean a permanent loss of rights. I handle restoration petitions across Washington counties.
Old fines and fees can quietly block housing, licensing, and relief. I help clients reduce, waive, or clear them — and recover Blake refunds you may be owed.
Occupational licenses, housing denials, background-check disputes, and the dozens of quieter barriers that outlast a sentence.
For employers, agencies, and nonprofits building fair-chance hiring and reentry programs — informed by federal policy experience and lived experience.
Why It Matters
Thousands of people in Washington are eligible for relief they’ll never get, because the process is slow, confusing, and underfunded — and because most of them can’t handle it alone. I spent years at a civil legal aid organization watching good people give up halfway through.
It’s easy to offer real advocacy when you’ve literally been in your client’s shoes. I know what it feels like to wait for the mail from the court. I know the fear of the background check. I also know exactly which forms to file, which counties move fast, and how to argue for full relief under the law.
The Process
Tell me about your record and what it’s blocking. I’ll tell you what I honestly believe is possible.
Eligibility, timeline, and cost — before you commit to anything.
I prepare every filing, appear in court, and keep you updated in plain English.
In the News
KUOW / NPR
“Her journey through addiction and recovery came full circle in drug court”
KING 5
“‘You’re going to die or go to prison’: Former convict turned Washington attorney shares life-changing moment”
Cascade PBS
Featured in the five-year retrospective on the State v. Blake decision
Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly · Nov 2024
“From incarcerated drug user to lawyer”
The Daily Orange · Jan 2023
“‘Ammo in my arsenal’: Cody Nagle defies stigma for those in recovery”
GovHR 2025
Panelist on employment opportunity for justice-impacted people
Association of Recovery Schools
Team member and advocate for young people in recovery
Testimonials
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Getting clean. Staying out. Rebuilding. That was the hard part — and you did it. Clearing the paperwork that’s still standing in your way is what I’m here for.
Serving Tacoma, Pierce County, and clients statewide. Virtual appointments available.
