Elisa was born in Galesburg, Illinois in 1981 and raised in Knoxville. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Bradley University where she was a member of the Mock Trial team for 3 years and moved to New Orleans, Louisiana after graduation to attend law school.

She obtained her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University College of Law- New Orleans in 2006, however, during Hurricane Katrina she attended Loyola Law School - Chicago where she taught street law to high school students.

After graduation she returned to Knox county area and began working at the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office concentrating mainly on Juvenile Abuse and Neglect cases. She then entered private practice in Galesburg for just over two years before transferring to the Knox County State's Attorney's Office where she was the First Assistant State's Attorney until September, 2015 when she joined Alcorn Nelson as a Managing Partner.

On June 1, 2019 she became the managing member of Nelson & Associates LLC.

Elisa M. Nelson

Areas Of Practice

  • Criminal Defense, DUI Defense, Felonies, Misdemeanors and Traffic charges, Ordinance Violations
  • Family & Divorce Law
  • Real Estate Contracts and Deed Preparation
  • Adoption and Guardianship
  • Wills, Estate Planning and Preparation, Powers of Attorney, Estate Administration and Probate
  • Expungements
  • Appeals
  • Juvenile Abuse & Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency cases

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois, 2006
  • United States District Court, Central District of Illinois, 2019

Education

  • Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, New Orleans, Louisiana
    J.D.
  • Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois
    B.S.
    Major: Double Major in Administration of Criminal Justice and Sociology with a Minor in Political Science

Classes/Seminars

  • Lethal Use of Force - Law Enforcement Mandatory Firearms Training, Mobile Team Training Unit IV, 2013 - Present
  • Street Law - William H. Taft High School, Park Ridge, Illinois, Fall 2005

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Knox County Bar Association, Treasurer, 2008 - Present
  • Illinois State Bar Association

Past Employment Positions

  • Peoria County State's Attorney's Office, Assistant State's Attorney, 2006 - 2008
  • Simpson Law Office, Associate Attorney, 2008 - 2011
  • Knox County State's Attorney's Office, First Assistant State's Attorney, 2011 - 2015

Pro Bono Activities

  • Galesburg Police Pension Board - Trustee, 2009 - May, 2019
  • Knoxville United Methodist Preschool - President of the Board of Directories, 2011 - 2016
  • Prairie State Legal - Volunteer Attorney, 2015 - Present