About Nancy Henderson
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
Going It Alone
Six attorneys share the risks and rewards of a solo practiceSome attorneys are thrust into solo practice after conflicts at large firms. Others unintentionally wind up alone after a partner leaves. Still others simply pursue their dream of hanging out a shingle. “I knew what I wanted to bring to the world as a lawyer, and I think the only real way that an attorney can do that is by being in practice for themselves,” says Rachna Lien, a family law attorney in St. Louis. Though none of the six Missouri and Kansas attorneys we spoke with would claim …
The Power of Positive Thinking
Joe White’s personality can fill up a courtroomAbout a decade ago, Joe E. White Jr. was rising to deliver his closing argument against bat maker Louisville Slugger on behalf of a pitcher smacked so hard by a batted ball that it shattered the front of his face. Spotting his dad—Dr. Joe White, a well-known educator, football coach, and president of Carl Albert State College—in the front row of the courtroom, he instantly knew what to say. He confessed to the jurors that, in the second grade, he developed the habit of picking up …
Is Collaborative Divorce Best for You?
When a new client met with family law litigator Mudita Chawla a while back, the woman was adamant about one thing: That she and her divorcing husband stay out of court and salvage the friendship they’d had since they were kids. “At the end of the day,” says Chawla, “they figured out a way for the husband to refinance the apartment to get her name off the deed and the mortgage. And she kept her [bank] account, he kept his account, and we divided the assets in the joint account.” The …
New York Probate Law: Estate Administration Steps
About 20 years ago, attorney Charles Turnbull sat watching the clock during what was supposed to be a meeting to firm up a buy-sell agreement as part of a client’s succession plan. The client had been pressing a partner to finish the paperwork and it was finally supposed to happen. But the partner never showed up. “He was in an accident on a local freeway in Detroit, coming here to the office to sign,” says Turnbull, who focuses on business and estate planning at O’Reilly Rancilio in …
Never Lose Heart
A stroke forced Margaret Moses Branch to walk in the shoes of her med-mal clientsIn 2007, Margaret Moses Branch was researching the best way to treat her dystonia, a muscle disorder that causes Parkinson’s-like symptoms. Botox treatments wouldn’t last long, and doing nothing wasn’t an option for Branch. Eventually, she decided on deep brain stimulation, a surgical procedure to implant electrodes into her brain and stop the tremors. Using the meticulous fact-gathering skills she’d developed over a quarter-century of advocating for women injured by negligent doctors, …
A Country of Immigrants
Colorado attorneys on what it means to be an immigrant practicing law in the U.S.In 2019, when Jens Jensen tried to renew his H-1B visa for another three years, he was surprised by the delays. “Normally it would take them a month,” says Jensen, a natural resources litigator who grew up in Denmark. “But because of all the cutbacks with the [Trump] administration, I ended up not getting it until several months after it had expired.” The delay posed some frustrating challenges. When Jensen returned to the U.S. after a conference in Canada, immigration officials pulled …
Making Their Mark
Five attorneys under 40 talk about their successes and their trials by fireDon’t get them started on Gen Y stereotypes. “I’ve heard stories of older generations looking at us a little differently,” says 35-year-old litigator Ryan Leagre. “If we ask for something like expanded paid parental leave, I think it’s viewed as, ‘Nothing’s ever good enough. Millennials want an open floor plan and a pingpong table in the back of the office.’ A lot of people think, ‘Oh, millennials float around and they’re always looking for greener grass.’ I don’t fit …
From Emergency Room to Courtroom
Registered nurse Tracey Dellacona now reps patients in med-mal casesNot long after a patient arrived at the emergency room with a kidney infection, her fever soared to an alarming 106 degrees. Critical care nurse Tracey Dellacona immediately turned off the antibiotic IV and instructed staff to pack the young woman in ice while she phoned the patient’s physician, whose office was connected to the hospital by a walkway tunnel. The doctor’s nurse explained that her boss was busy seeing another patient but Dellacona didn’t give up. “After I called twice …
The Right Battles
How Sharonda Williams helped save the mayor and overhaul the NOLA police departmentThe suit had been hovering like a black cloud for 30 years, long before Sharonda Williams joined the legal team of New Orleans as city attorney. Firefighters were seeking back pay for uncompensated annual leave and longevity increases. A newer lawsuit involving underfunded pensions had further complicated matters for Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who inherited the ongoing problems with no way to pay the more than $100 million judgment. On a Friday afternoon in 2012, Williams found herself racing …
'We Are the Bosses'
Tressa Johnson and Kristy Bennett's employment firm is busier than ever during the pandemicAt times, Tressa Johnson and Kristy Bennett sound more like siblings than business partners—voicing words in unison, completing each other’s sentences, laughing. “We’re here to help people,” says Johnson. “We basically say: ‘Give it to us and—” “—we’ll take care of you,’” Bennett finishes. Since 2016, the two have run Johnson & Bennett, a midtown Memphis plaintiff’s employment firm that routinely lands six- and seven-figure verdicts and settlements in claims …
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