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
The Comeback
Business litigator Tammy Meyer rebuilds her career after a devastating illnessLess than a year after launching her firm with husband Gary Miller in 2009, “we had more business than we knew what to do with,” says litigation attorney Tammy Meyer. “We had a great staff. We had just hired a law clerk and were thinking about hiring associates because we had so much business. Things were the best that they could have ever been for the both of us.” Then Meyer discovered a pea-sized lump in her breast. She was 44. “Immediately, my doctor who I’d been with for 20-some …
Advocatus Quod Auctor
How Anthony Licata’s Hannibal’s Niece finally saw the light of dayTwo years ago, when a longtime client mentioned over lunch that he was seeking book submissions for his new publishing company, Anthony Licata casually replied, “Well, I have one you ought to read. It’s been sitting in my closet for 20 years.” A commercial real estate attorney and partner-in-charge at Chicago’s Taft Stettinius & Hollister, Licata, 63, had some experience with the written word. He’d worked his way through high school and college as a reporter for a daily newspaper …
Bass Ace
Peter Strand earned his rock ‘n roll stripes in Yipes!As a kid, it took a while for Peter Strand to find the right instrument. Piano didn’t enthrall him, too many classmates played drums, and cornet just didn’t cut it. In the late 1960s, when he formed a garage band with his brother and best friends in their Milwaukee suburb, he went with guitar, but it wasn’t a perfect fit. Then one day, he hit a literal lucky break. “I happened to break the two strings that aren’t on a bass, so I started playing bass notes on a regular guitar,” …
Like Lawyer, Like Daughter
Jere and Julie Beasley work together, argue togetherFresh out of college, Julie Beasley was confident she’d snagged a job at a power company, particularly after the interviewer asked about her father, Jere. “Of course, I got on my high horse and I was talking about how great he was,” she says. Soon after, she ran into one of her father’s law partners, who told her, “Well, you know we’ve sued them several times.” “Obviously, I did not get the job,” Julie, 55, says, laughing. It’s now been 25 years since she joined her …
5,000 Elvis Cards Can’t Be Wrong
Why Lucian Pera’s annual greeting never gets stamped ‘Return to Sender’It wasn’t that Lucian Pera was a rabid Elvis Presley fan, or that Pera’s mom happened to share the King’s January 8th birthday, or even that Pera and Presley went to the same dentist. Pera never spotted Elvis during one of those impromptu Cadillac giveaways. He never even attended a concert. “Elvis was not somebody whose music I terrifically appreciated as a child,” says Pera, 57, president of the Tennessee Bar Association and a partner at Adams and Reese, where he focuses on …
How Does Bankruptcy Filing Affect My Spouse?
Filing for bankruptcy is a very personal decision and, of course, should never be entered into lightly. As you consider entering this process, if you're a married couple, you'll also need to decide whether you'll seek bankruptcy protection individually or jointly with your spouse. Although bankruptcy law is federal law, there are some unique state laws that govern how your bankruptcy will affect your spouse. Reach out to an experienced bankruptcy lawyer in your area for legal advice. When Only …
Kit Petersen’s Magic Touch
Though she keeps some ‘fairy dust’ on hand, her real power lies in listeningCatherine “Kit” Petersen was a junior at the University of Oklahoma law school in the mid-1970s when a student raised his hand during a discussion about a civil rights case. “Teacher, we don’t need to talk about this, because we have affirmative action right here in class,” he said sarcastically. “We all know the only reason that women are here is because the federal government makes the law school accept them.” Petersen, one of only 14 female students in her class of 212, fired …
What Does This Class Action Letter Mean?
You get a postcard or email informing you that there is a class action against a large corporation, and you're a class member. What do you do? Class action litigation involves a large group of people combining their similar claims against a defendant. The email or postcard you receive is notification of the class action, your legal rights, and the next steps to take. For most class action claim forms, your best option is to remain in the class. However, some class members may want to exclude …
The Nicest Guy in the Room
M. Michael Stephenson cuts hearts out as politely as possibleMore often than not, the first thing M. Michael Stephenson does before cross-examining a witness is offer him or her a glass of water. “I want to be the nicest guy in the room,” says Stephenson, 60, partner at McNeely Stephenson in Shelbyville and one of the state’s most experienced trial lawyers. “People help those they like. If they don’t like me, they may punish my client. So I try to do everything I can to be pleasant, professional and polite to everyone in that courtroom. …
Chicago’s Hospitality Lawyer
Larry Eppley helps clients transform historic buildings into high-end hotelsLarry Eppley took a few real estate classes as an undergrad and in law school in the 1980s, but it was years before he was able to apply that knowledge. A group of entrepreneurial friends asked him to negotiate the acquisition of an aging Sheraton hotel in a northern Chicago suburb, and the new owners gave it a substantial facelift. After that, more clients hired him to represent their hospitality projects. “Eventually it became sort of a niche,” he says. Now managing partner at Sheppard, …
Find top lawyers with confidence
The Super Lawyers patented selection process is peer influenced and research driven, selecting the top 5% of attorneys to the Super Lawyers lists each year. We know lawyers and make it easy to connect with them.
Find a lawyer near you