About Nancy Henderson

Nancy Henderson Articles written 179

Nancy Henderson is an award-winning journalist who has published hundreds of articles in Smithsonian, The New York Times, Parade, The Wall Street Journal and other publications. The author of Sewing Hope and Able! How One Company’s Extraordinary Workforce Changed the Way We Look at Disability Today, she enjoys breaking stereotypes and often writes about people who are making a difference through their work. Over the years, she’s enjoyed listening to family stories about her grandfather, who prosecuted cases as a solicitor general in North Carolina long before she was born.

Articles written by Nancy Henderson

Adaptation

Four millennial attorneys talk learning curves, AI, and paying down debt

Raised eyebrows. Assumptions. Being mistaken for support staff. Attorneys who have practiced law for less than a decade say they routinely struggle with misconceptions about their age. Karishma Patel, who handles estate planning and probate matters with McDowall Cotter, took a lot of flak when she began practicing in 2019. “Clients, and sometimes other attorneys, look at you,” she says. “You’re a young woman, and they think you’re not experienced until you actually show them.” …

A Tale of Two Practices

More than 30 years of martial arts study helps Joel Frank focus—and read his opponents—in court

The young Joel Frank was constantly in motion, playing lacrosse, running track and competing in pickup football games and street hockey with his buddies. So when he noticed a couple of martial arts studios near the University of Delaware during his junior year there, he decided to try his hand. Gravitating toward Chinese Kenpo—”It suited my build and my interests,” says the 6-foot-1 litigator—he went on to earn a third-degree black belt over the next 12 years.  “I’m not the …

The Master of Negotiation

Joe Rice wrangles the settlements no one else can

For several years, through the ups and downs of proposed federal regulations that, in the end, fell short by one vote in Congress, Joe Rice had been testing ways to hold Big Tobacco accountable for its marketing campaigns, which he says targeted underage audiences. Finally, a breakthrough: A lawyer for the defense called Rice and asked the question he’d been waiting to hear. “Is there a way to handle this in a reasonable fashion?” But the night before the meeting Rice had arranged with …

What Are My Rights as a Protester?

All people in the United States have First Amendment rights, including freedom of speech, assembly, and the right to petition the government. These constitutional rights allow people to organize and participate in a peaceful protest. “Protesting is a very American ideal. It’s visionary, and it’s necessary, because protesting often leads to the progress of a nation,” says Jasmine Rand, a civil rights litigator in Miami, Florida. “Protest is often that unheard voice of the masses, …

Big Swings

Michael Veron is an ace in the world of long-shot litigation—and golf literature

In 1993, when Billy Corbello asked his cousin Michael Veron to do battle with Shell Oil, Veron was initially reluctant but found he couldn’t say no. For starters, he loved his cousin like a brother. And Corbello hammered home the fact that Veron’s own father, also a lawyer, had asked Corbello to keep an eye on the family’s land, while Shell had not only failed to vacate the family’s Louisiana farm when the royalty-based lease expired, but also neglected to clean up the toxic waste left …

How Far We’ve Come

Five attorneys discuss the last 20 years of law

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Colorado Super Lawyers, we asked five attorneys who’ve been practicing for more than two decades to reflect on what they’ve learned, how the profession has changed, and what the next generation needs to know. Among the variety of opinions, there’s one thing they all agree on: that practicing law was, and is, the right choice. “People ask me all the time, ‘Have you enjoyed it? How have you survived being a trial lawyer for 40 years?’” says …

‘What Would Patty Do?’

Patricia McKinnon focuses on connecting with clients and paying it forward

About two months out of law school, Patricia McKinnon joined the newly created Marion County public defender agency to represent parents either trying to get their children back or facing involuntary termination of parental rights. One month later, she was thrust into her first civil trial—alone. She had worked extensively with the client, who consented to let relatives adopt all of her children except one, and she was counting on the woman to demonstrate on the witness stand that she was, in …

High Hopes

Two attorneys on the advantages of youth, its challenges, and the future of law

During Georgia Malik’s first court appearance—less than a month after she passed the bar in 2020—the opposing counsel asked, “Are you the attorney? How old are you?” “I was like, ‘Old enough for a law license,’” says Malik, a civil litigator with Cranfill Sumner in Raleigh. “Having to navigate this [age issue] has always been challenging.” Misconceptions about youth aren’t the only stumbling blocks for young attorneys in the early days of their careers. For Chris …

What To Know Before You Sign a Software Licensing Agreement

While combing through a proposed software license agreement with a business client, Brian Gamsey discovered language that would have let the vendor use the client’s data to train artificial intelligence. “That was something the client very much did not want,” says Gamsey, of Mills Gamsey in Atlanta. “We were able to get them to not use that feature as part of the offering once the license agreement was in place.” Choosing the wrong software vendor or signing without reading the fine …

‘Self, We Need to Get This Work Done’

Five attorneys on the joys and challenges of going solo

Like any work situation, hanging a shingle has its pros and cons. “The biggest pro, I think, is being able to be your own boss and choose what you’re going to work on and handle the cases the way you think you should,” says personal injury and civil rights attorney Miguel Dominguez. “The biggest challenge is that you’re responsible for bankrolling these cases. It’s also your responsibility to figure out where the next case is going to come from. At the end of the day, it’s still a …

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