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
A Lifetime Commitment: The Benefits and Complications Involved in Adopting a Stepchild
Recently, a throng of family members and friends crowded into a Boston courtroom to witness the finalization of a 12-year-old boy’s adoption by his stepfather. The two were dressed alike, in suits and fancy matching sneakers. “They were extremely close, and he called him ‘Dad’ already,” says their adoption attorney, Joyce Kauffman. “He was the only father this child had really ever known, and the child very much wanted to have that legal relationship acknowledged. It was …
Tips for Gray Divorce
Divorce is difficult at any age, but people over 50 can face unique challenges. The breadwinner could be hit with a spousal support obligation extending well into retirement. A spouse might need to reenter the workforce after they expected to be working. There's also the emotional toll of losing a long-term marriage. Divorces that happen later in life can raise issues beyond typical child custody and spousal support disputes. For legal help navigating divorce, contact an experienced divorce …
‘An Exciting Time to Be a Young Lawyer’
Attorneys who have practiced for 20 years on the past, present and future of lawThese five attorneys all began practicing around the time Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine was first published in 2006. During that time they’ve seen some changes. Technology, of course, is one of the biggest. When Clarence Webster III, a civil defense litigator in Jackson, Mississippi, started out, he says, “There was a lot of time spent on airplanes, going to different meetings that might last 30 minutes to an hour. Now we use virtual means to communicate with each other.” Here’s a …
The Icebreaker
Daniel Giroux keeps it light, even during heavy casesAs a younger attorney, Daniel Giroux would rattle his boss by sending fake emails from the defense lawyer, reading “Just want you to know that we found evidence that is going to vindicate our doctors, so we’re withdrawing our offer.” Other times, he would place made-up discovery on the senior attorney’s desk, just to watch him squirm. “Through humor, in the form of pranks or icebreakers, I’d reduce the temperature in the room,” says Giroux, who now handles medical …
Keeping the Peace
Estate planning lawyers share ways to minimize family disputes on the front endWhile advising a couple about how to pass on the family’s real estate business to their grown children, estate planning attorney Stephanie Heilborn met separately with them and their children. Among other things, Heilborn explained how certain documents could allow the siblings to opt out of direct involvement in the company in the future if they chose to do so. “The parents were not in the same room with the children, so the children felt safe asking me questions about how the whole …
Winning Them Over
Criminal defense attorneys share the secrets of who winds up in the jury boxAfter the end of the 2025 retrial of Harvey Weinstein, during which the former film producer was convicted on one count of sexual assault, acquitted on a second, and granted a mistrial on the third, a juror confided in Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala. “You were my guy from the time we met at jury selection,” she told him. “I loved your style and I just believed in you.” That type of two-out-of-three win, says Aidala, who practices criminal defense at Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins …
Up in the Air
New York attorneys on the state of immigration in 2025After waiting in the U.S. for almost a decade for his asylum application to be approved, with a valid employment permit and a court date set for 2027, Sarah Lachman’s client was recently arrested on his way to work. “There were three days where his family had no idea where he was, because we tried to call and they were not giving us information,” says Lachman, the founder of Lachman Law in New York City. “And it took another three days before we saw his name appear in another detention …
Keeping the Peace: Minimizing Family Disputes Through Estate Planning
While advising a couple about how to pass on the family’s real estate business to their grown children, estate planning attorney Stephanie Heilborn met separately with them and their children. Among other things, Heilborn explained how certain documents could allow the siblings to opt out of direct involvement in the company in the future if they chose to do so. “The parents were not in the same room with the children, so the children felt safe asking me questions about how the whole …
How Juries Are Selected in Criminal Cases
After the end of the 2025 retrial of Harvey Weinstein, during which the former film producer was convicted on one count of sexual assault, acquitted on a second, and granted a mistrial on the third, a juror confided in Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala. “You were my guy from the time we met at jury selection,” she told him. “I loved your style and I just believed in you.” That type of two-out-of-three win, says Aidala, who practices criminal defense at Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins …
Forward Together
Four Oklahoma attorneys discuss the changes they’ve seen in their 20 years in the professionMegan Beck started practicing family law in 2005. Since then, relationship-building has become more important than ever. “Legal knowledge is obviously a very integral component, but how you are able to work with other people is just as important, regardless of the kind of law that you’re in, whether it’s contracts, estate planning or litigating a big case,” she says. “All you’re doing is trying to make a deal, and if you don’t have the interpersonal skills to do that, you’re not …
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