About Maggie Hessel-Mial
Articles written by Maggie Hessel-Mial
Carrying the Flame
Elaine Turner brings home the gold for Special OlympiansThe most rewarding moments in Elaine Turner’s career come from delivering results for her clients. But the most rewarding moments in her life come from her work with the Special Olympics of Oklahoma. When she started law school at Oklahoma City University, she thought her future lay in criminal law, but quickly realized employment law was what held her interest. When she graduated from law school in 1989, Turner took a job with Hall Estill, and has been there ever since. “The thing that …
Attorney Internacional
Growing up in Havana, Pedro Luis Irigonegaray saw the damage government can do to its people. Even as a young boy, Irigonegaray knew Cubans were being tortured and killed by General Ruben Fulgencio Batista’s oppressive regime. He never forgot how the judicial system failed its citizens. In 1959, Fidel Castro took control of the country. For a brief period, Irigonegaray’s family was hopeful that the new government would be better for their nation. Their hopes were quickly dashed. On Jan. …
The Last Best Hope
When tough cases wear her down or when she needs a little encouragement to keep going, Melinda Pendergraph reads a card from a former client. Keep fighting for us on death row, it reads. And she does. As an assistant public defender for the state of Missouri, Pendergraph, who is based in Columbia, handles death penalty appeals from post-conviction action. “She is dedicated to her clients. That is probably the driving force behind her practice,” says Janet Thompson, another assistant …
If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Some Cases
It was 1992 and Bill Clinton and Al Gore were in Independence, Mo. — hometown of former President Harry Truman — to campaign for their run for the White House. Hillary and Tipper were by their sides in Independence Square. National media were in town, cameras were everywhere. But the city looked bleak: boarded-up windows and abandoned buildings dotted the square, mere blocks from Truman’s homestead. Kenneth McClain was humiliated. This was not how he wanted the world to see his …
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