Nico Zulli's life reads like a duet between two seemingly different worlds: the precise, rule-bound practice of litigation and the freewheeling, emotional pulse of soul music. But for Nico, a senior associate at Duane Morris LLP, singing has never been a hobby that competed with her career—it was a parallel language she learned to speak before she could read.
Raised in a household steeped in the diverse music of New Orleans and absorbed with the alphabet ("NOLA is where my true love of music comes from"). In elementary school, her tastes expanded to the ubiquitous pop music of larger-than-life 90s divas (Janet, Mariah, Whitney) and were later deepened by the earthy Detroit tunes of Motown.
These foundational influences also built a quiet certainty that Nico belonged in front of an audience: Her first professional performance was at age four. "At seven years old, she sang the national anthem at a Houston Hotshots soccer game ("In a red, white, and blue sequined hat!" adds Nico). Formal training soon followed.
In addition to crafting her own original music—a soul-pop sound shaped by Amy Winehouse-influenced vocals and threaded with synthy effects—Nico also fronts the band at Duane Morris, a role she's held since her first year as an associate. She recalls being approached by the firm's chief marketing officer while she was working out at the gym during the firm's 2019 annual meeting in Boca Raton, who bluntly asked, "Don't you sing?" After responding yes, the CMO encouraged Nico to go to the ballroom where the band was practicing and say hello. Moments later, still in her athletic clothes, she wandered into rehearsal, introduced herself, and the rest, as is the common thread with all origin stories of musical greats, "was history."
The most compelling thread in Nico's musical journey is how seamlessly it intertwines with her legal career: the performance instincts she developed onstage now animate her work as an attorney, a dichotomy she's continually learning to integrate. The skills she engages in for her songwriting and crafting music are the same ones she uses to develop narratives for fact stories in a case, to connect with clients, and to approach business development with originality and intention.
"Law is interpretive," she further explains. "I consider myself an artist in the law."
In truth, Nico's story is an important reminder for everyone that it's essential to nurture the creative part of ourselves. Too often, attorneys wear our professions as an identity. But who were you before you were a lawyer? What made you feel most alive—and how can you protect that now? When we protect our own humanity, we gain the clarity to see and honor it in others. "One of the most important things you can do," Nico shared, "is believe your skills and talents to remind people who they are."
You can find Nico's music on streaming services, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud.
Anietie Akpan is head of legal, North America for Atofina, Inc., and a member of The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board.
Reprinted with permission from The Houston Lawyer, Houston Bar Association, published by Monarch Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
See the full The Houston Lawyer magazine’s July/August 2026 issue here.
