Get to Know Our Team

PARTNER

EDUCATION

Columbia University, New York, NY

Bachelor of Arts, English, 1987

Columbia University School of Law, New York, NY

Juris Doctor, 1994

University of California, Los Angeles

Master of Business Administration, 2000

Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, through the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization

ACTIVITIES & AFFILIATIONS

• Humboldt County Bar Association
• Humboldt Council on Estate Planning and Elder Care

BAR ADMISSIONS

• California
• New York

PARTNER

Crystal Dean is a partner at Nielsen Cashman & Dean. Her practice areas include estate planning, family law, business formation and succession planning, business service contracts, probate, trust administration, and conservatorships. She has a particular focus on cost-effective solutions and a guiding philosophy of doing it right the first time. Clients and colleagues alike know Crystal for her exceptional standards, careful preparation, and clear, steady guidance through life’s most personal legal decisions. She believes good lawyering combines empathy with precision—listening carefully, explaining options in understandable terms, and building documents and processes that hold up under real-world stress.

Crystal’s path to the profession forged the habits that define her practice today. She joined the firm in September 2007, training under Jeanne Gale (then Jeanne Tunison-Campbell) and serving for years as a paralegal before becoming an attorney. That hands-on foundation of drafting, organizing, and quality-checking matters for real families helped shape her practical judgment and meticulous approach.

With encouragement from Jeanne Gale and Arthur Nielsen, Crystal put herself through the State Bar of California’s Law Office Study Program (a rigorous, apprenticeship-based pathway that demands sustained discipline and self-motivation). She apprenticed with Arthur Nielsen from 2020–2024, passed the California Bar in July 2024, was sworn in by the Humboldt County Superior Court, and was admitted to practice in November 2024. In 2025, she joined Arthur Nielsen as a law partner.

A native of Humboldt County, Crystal grew up in Scotia and later Fortuna. Much of her childhood was spent “in the hills” with her parents and grandparents—Ruth Lake, camping, hunting, fishing, and “getting firewood”—what she fondly calls the last of the “good old days.” Today, she and her husband are surrounded by nieces, nephews, and an abundance of fur-children. Free time often means visiting friends and family, game nights, and the satisfaction of day-to-day home projects. Humboldt County isn’t just where Crystal works—it’s home.

Even before joining the firm, Crystal had an early affinity for the law. She sought out “small justices,” researching labor, tenant, and consumer rights and drafting her own legal demands when needed. That independent streak—curiosity backed by action—continues to anchor her advocacy for clients today.

PARALEGAL

Jessica Van Brackle migrated with her family at a young age to Humboldt County, where she attended Ferndale and Fortuna Union High School. She became a team member at our firm in 2017. As our receptionist, she excelled at assisting clients with daily needs and quickly took up assisting paralegals with projects and performing administrative tasks. As a Document Clerk at our firm, she drafted many administrative documents in the areas of probate and trust administration, always offering a helping hand to any project.

In 2019, Jessica moved on to a Paralegal role at our firm upon the completion of her Paralegal Studies at Los Angeles Mission College. She has a can-do attitude and a knack for puzzling out complex issues, along with an artistic eye for design, making her a valued member of our firm. As a paralegal she excels in probate and trust work that requires a highly proactive attention to detail and issue-spotting. 

Jessica is married to Phillip Woodward and has a number of furr-children that welcome her home each day. She enjoys cooking, baking, reading, game nights, and adventures in the outdoors.