West Virginia University College of Law

Huntington attorney follows in father’s footsteps

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

February 09, 2010 @ 12:00 AM

HUNTINGTON—If you look at the numbers, you’d think that a career in law may have been daunting for Cheryl Henderson.

Of the 357 attorneys in Cabell County, only about 10 are black. And men tend to outnumber women in the profession.

But she thought little of it. To Henderson, the field of law was home. Her father, the late Herbert H. Henderson, founded a practice in Huntington in 1958, after being the first black man to graduate from George Washington University in Washington.

As a kid, Cheryl Henderson answered phones in the law firm, located across from the Cabell County Courthouse on 5th Avenue. She ran errands, traveled with her father and watched how he fought for justice.

She was always impressed with his intellect and concern for his fellow human beings. And today, she’s carrying on his legacy as an attorney and president of the firm that he founded more than 50 years ago, Henderson, Henderson & Staples LLC.

Cheryl Henderson practices law with her two sisters, Gail Staples and Sherri Henderson, along with Gail’s husband, Dwight Staples.

It’s a general practice firm, and after doing criminal trials for a while, Cheryl Henderson now focuses on civil cases, such as domestic relations, personal injury cases and others. She does wills and serves as a court-approved mediator and a guardian ad litem for children and clients who can’t represent themselves in the court system.

The most rewarding part of the job is when she walks away from a case knowing that her client’s life is better now, she said, especially in the case of children. more…