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
High Hopes
Two attorneys on the advantages of youth, its challenges, and the future of lawDuring 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 soloLike 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 …
Sharing Her Story
Elizabeth Kurowski Quante supports others with Type 1 diabetesFor Elizabeth Kurowski Quante, the hardest part of being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 14 was “getting used to a completely new normal,” she recalls. “I couldn’t eat without thinking about it. I couldn’t exercise or go out for a walk without thinking about what my blood sugar is,” she says. “If I wanted to eat a piece of cake at a birthday party, I would have to prick my finger and then give myself a shot of insulin.” Rather than try to hide her struggles, she …
'I’m Trying to Fix Things’
Carey Acerra is determined to right the wrongs of the nursing home industryEven the dog in the courtroom was on Carey Acerra’s side. For reasons unknown, when her opposing counsel spoke during the five-week trial in 2016, a rescue dog the judge adopted—a small black shih tzu with a graying muzzle—would often bark.And each time the canine interjected, Acerra, who was representing the family of a dementia patient fatally neglected at a Memphis nursing home, said, “See? Even the dog is objecting.” It helped lighten the mood. The jurors visibly relaxed. …
For Better or Worst-Case Scenario
How filing for bankruptcy affects your spouse—and doesn’tBankruptcy attorney Michael Koplen of Koplen Law Firm likens a personal bankruptcy filing to “a geometric math problem. Everything has to fit together exactly right. Every detail counts,” he says. “What goes into that petition has a definite effect on every single asset and every single debt that the person has.” So how does your spouse fit into that equation? The good news is that in most cases, they don’t, especially if the credit card balance or other debt is in your …
Persistence Pays Off
How to get your Social Security disability benefits—even if you’ve been turned downWhile employed as a mechanic, a client of Shivam Patel’s developed an autoimmune condition that attacked his soft tissue, muscles and organs, including his heart. On the transplant list for decades, he eventually became unable to work and relocated to the Carolinas to live with his daughters while awaiting the results of his Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) application. Unfortunately, the moves only complicated the process. After two denials, says Patel, a solo attorney in …
Gray Divorce
Tips for couples calling it splitsville after 50Divorce is difficult at any age, but those over 50 can face extra complications. The breadwinner could be hit with a spousal support obligation extending well into retirement. Or a spouse might need to reenter the workforce, or find a job for the first time, in a world where many companies hesitate to hire older workers. And, of course, there’s the emotional toll of losing a long-term relationship. “The financial realities are a lot larger when you’re older,” says Pasquale J. Crispo of …
‘If You Want to Be a Lawyer, Go Be One’
Five Missouri attorneys reflect on the past two decades of life and lawTo celebrate the 20th issue of Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, we caught up with five former cover subjects: José Bautista (2018), James Cooling (2005), Don Downing (2012), Todd Graves (2017), and Susan Ford Robertson (2014). Robertson, an appellate attorney in Kansas City, Missouri, is still having the time of her life. So is her father, who practices trial law at the age of 88. “My dad told me, ‘Do something that makes you want to get up, jump out of bed and can’t wait to see the …
What To Do if Your Social Security Disability Benefits Get Denied
While employed as a mechanic, a client of Shivam Patel’s developed an autoimmune condition that attacked his soft tissue, muscles and organs, including his heart. On the transplant list for decades, he eventually became unable to work and relocated to the Carolinas to live with his daughters while awaiting the results of his Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) application. Unfortunately, the moves only complicated the process. After two denials, says Patel, a solo attorney in New York …
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