Pacheco was in private practice before he served as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney under District Attorney Gil Garcetti from 1995 to 1999. He later served on the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission from 1997 to 1999.
Pacheco served on the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 14th District from 1999 to 2003. While on the council, he established a jogging path around a cemetery that included the use of recycled tires as part of the sidewalk. He also created the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the City of Los Angeles as chair of the council's Housing and Community Redevelopment Committee. As Chair of the council's Budget Committee he established the Neighborhood Prosecutor program that focuses on quality-of-life crimes in each neighborhood. Under this program each police division in the City has a specific Deputy City Attorney assigned to identify and prosecute quality-of-life crimes that harm each neighborhood.
Pacheco ran for district attorney against incumbent Steve Cooley in 2004 and lost by 44 percentage points. He returned to private practice, handling mostly family-law cases.
Los Angeles City Council election
Pacheco ran to reclaim his seat in 2005 but lost to José Huizar.
Returning to private practice
After leaving politics, Pacheco continued to practice law in Los Angeles and Mission Hills.
''Lira v. Nick Pacheco Law Group''
In 2015, his law firm in Mission Hills was sued by two former employees, Carlos and Rico Lira, who alleged that he failed to pay all of their wages, unlawfully pressured them to make campaign contributions, made racially charged statements to them, and engaged in questionable legal practices in servicing the firm's clients. They were fired after they complained about this conduct, and he later defamed them to their prospective employer. Pacheco filed special motions to strike a majority of their claims under Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16,1 contending that the statements to their prospective employer were made in anticipation of litigation, and that the remainder of the claims arose from his protected activity in representing his clients, and in connection with the Ethics Commission investigation. He also produced evidence that they were terminated because they falsified Rocio's employment verification forms, and therefore the termination resulted from Pacheco's effort to comply with federal immigration law. The 8th Division, Second District of the California Courts of Appeal denied Pacheco's request for appeal and the Los Angeles County Superior Court sided with the Liras. Since 2018, Pacheco he has been disbarred from practicing law in California.
Personal life
He was married to Marisela Alvarez, but the pair divorced. They had two daughters and a son.
