Get to Know Our Team

Arthur Nielsen

Arthur Nielsen has represented both families and businesses in large and small law firms for 29 years. His early legal experience was as a corporate attorney at major law firms in New York City, Minneapolis, and Silicon Valley, representing institutional clients in corporate financing and securities transactions. Arthur's first two years as an attorney were on the legal side of the sort of mortgage-backed securities deals that Michael Lewis describes in his books "Liar's Poker" and "The Big Short." He has no regrets about not sticking with it.

As more of a small-town attorney since 2002, Arthur represents families and small businesses. He first heard of Humboldt County on the Firesign Theatre's first album, and his fascination with this part of the world grew steadily until he settled here permanently in 2009. In 2012, he partnered with Jeanne Gale and our firm changed to Gale & Nielsen. His fourteenth anniversary at the firm was in January 2024. Arthur has qualified as a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. His first job after college was as a researcher and junior editor at American Heritage Magazine. He wrote a regular column describing various historical anniversaries, which history buffs can find here.

Arthur's daughter, a graduate of Northcoast Preparatory Academy in Arcata, is a 2023 graduate of the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.

On January 1, 2025, Arthur brought on Solen Cashman and Crystal Dean as law partners, renaming the firm to Nielsen Cashman & Dean.

Solen Cashman

Solen Cashman started as an associate attorney with us, having joined in November 2019. Before relocating to Eureka, Solen was a corporate paralegal in Sacramento and Silicon Valley. During his time in Sacramento, he volunteered with the Sacramento Estate Planning Clinic and mentored with an estate planning attorney as his interest in this area of the law grew. In 2025, he joined Arthur Nielsen as a law partner.

Solen used to take family camping trips to the Redwood National Forest when he was younger and continued visiting Humboldt County as he grew up. He was also married at Wedding Rock in Patrick's Point State Park.   

Solen grew up in the Bay Area, attended Santa Clara University, and attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. 

PARTNER

Crystal Dean

Jessica Van Brackle

PARALEGAL

Cheyanne Hernandez

Cheyanne Hernandez grew up in the Central Valley and attended college in the Bay Area. She moved to Humboldt County in 2014 in need of a change, and we were happy to welcome her as a file clerk while she attended Humboldt State University. Shortly thereafter, the firm recognized her bright energy, exceptional client service, and ability to pick things up easily by promoting her to the position of Paralegal. 

Cheyanne took a detour in 2017 when she and her family moved to Tampa, Florida, very much on a whim. There, she continued her Paralegal career and strengthened her skills at two large insurance defense firms, where her ability to multitask, prioritize, and think on her feet served her well. 

When she grew tired of combatting mosquitoes and preparing for hurricanes, she found her way back to the last place that felt like home, Humboldt County (and, of course, the firm welcomed her back with open arms).

Cheyanne is married to Dallas Hernandez, and together, they are raising two beautiful children, Elijah and Olivia. They have a derpy lab dog and two spunky cats and enjoy spending their weekends herding the family and watching too much Cocomelon.