Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan was appointed a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois in 1998. She began her legal career as a staff attorney for the Federal Defender Program in Chicago, and then worked in private practice where she gained extensive experience handling complex criminal cases. Judge Nolan has written a number of opinions involving discovery issues relating to electronic evidence and has participated in a number of seminars concerning electronic discovery. She received her bachelor's degree from Loyola University and her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago.

Nan R. Nolan is on the Advisory Board for The Sedona Conference.