Nick arrived as a refugee with his sister and parents to Alabama in 1975, after being airlifted from Tan Son Nhat Airport during the fall of Saigon.
Following graduation from Long Beach Polytechnic High School, he made his way to Oregon in 1993, and graduated with honors from Southern Oregon University in 1997. Following a stint as a teacher at his former elementary school, Nick completed his studies at the University of Oregon School of Law in 2006.
During his time as a law student, he was employed as a Legal Research and Writing tutor by the university, represented the school at the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition, spent a summer at the international firm of Perkins Coie, and clerked for the Honorable Michael Hogan in Eugene, then presiding Judge for the US District Court for the District of Oregon. Upon graduation, Nick served as a judicial clerk for Honorable Judge Van Dyk at Clackamas County Circuit Court and to several judges at Lane County Circuit Court.
Nick served as a Deputy District Attorney in Josephine County from 2006 to 2008, engaged in private practice at Brown, Hughes, Bird & Rotes until 2009, and returned to serve as a Deputy District Attorney for Jackson County between 2009 and 2013. While employed as a prosecutor, he filed and processed thousands of cases, presented hundreds of matters before grand juries, and appeared in court weekly to address trial readiness, show cause, probation violation, restitution, and sentencing hearings. Nick’s caseload included a homicide matter, Measure 11 (mandatory minimum prison sentence) cases, adult felony and misdemeanor cases, delinquency (crimes alleged to have been committed by juveniles) matters, dependency actions (acts or omissions committed by parents of minor children) matters, and domestic violence prosecutions. Nick has tried over fifty (50) felony and misdemeanor trials in his career, obtaining numerous convictions, and was presented with an Outstanding Service Award for his work by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in 2007. While in private practice, he guided clients through various civil actions, served as counsel to an individual who underwent a grand jury homicide investigation, and represented a juvenile client accused of serious animal abuse charges.
Returning from Virginia in 2015, Nick and Mike McCord formed McCord & Tran, LLC. Based in Bend, the firm endeavors to serve the unique needs of Central Oregonians.
In his spare time, Nick enjoys reading and writing, exploring Central Oregon, visiting with his son, a sophomore at the University of Oregon, engaging with his nephews and niece in To The Death wrestling bouts, spending time with friends, and making plans to move his fiance, Elisa, a retired US Navy Captain, to beautiful Bend.