Cheryl L. Henderson

Owner and Attorney, Henderson, Henderson & Staples, LC

Photo by Cheryl Henderson.

By Kevin Duvall

Cheryl Henderson, owner and attorney of the Huntington-based firm Henderson, Henderson & Staples, LC, has seen the value of both hard work and overcoming adversity throughout her legal career as a law student, practicing attorney, municipal city judge and long-time member of the Mountain State Bar Association (MSBA).

Her family moved to Huntington when she was 4 years old, where her father established himself as a sole practitioner. Growing up, Henderson wasn’t sure what her dream job was, but she found support and inspiration in her parents.

“Both my parents were my mentors,” she says. “They taught me that I could do anything I wanted. My legal mentor was my father, Herbert Henderson. He taught me to be ethical and honest and to do the best for my clients. There is no way I can fill my father’s shoes, but every day I go to my office planning to do the best I can.”

Henderson graduated from Fisk University in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in English, after which she returned to West Virginia and graduated from West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law in 1980. At WVU, Henderson met one of the major influences on her legal career.

“Attorney Franklin Cleckley was the only black law professor teaching when I attended WVU,” she says. “I thought he was brilliant. He could walk circles around the best when it came to the law. My lasting impression of him was that hard work pays off.”

After law school, Henderson worked as a trademark attorney with the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., for two years before returning home to join her father’s firm.

“Everyone thought working with my father must have been easy,” she says. “I can assure you he was harder on me as his daughter than he would have been on someone else. When I first began working with him, he would review my work and mark it up. It would take me several attempts to get it right. My father always said do your best, and that stuck with me.”

Today, Henderson, Henderson & Staples handles both civil and criminal cases. Henderson focuses primarily on civil cases, especially in family law. She says the cases that have stayed with her most are adoption cases, which she refers to as win-win situations.

Beyond the firm, Henderson has carried on another family tradition through her work with the MSBA. The organization was established in the 1920s for African-American attorneys who were not allowed admittance to the West Virginia State Bar’s activities. In 1972, Henderson’s father was part of a group of attorneys that reestablished the organization. She has previously served as president of the MSBA, and today she serves as treasurer.

“The Mountain State Bar Association is important to me because it allows me to work on cases that other bar associations would be reluctant to take on,” she says. “I’m proud of this association for its commitment to protecting civil and human rights and for providing scholarships, free know-your-rights seminars and outstanding continuing legal education.”

In addition to pro bono work and legal organizations, Henderson has long been active in community service in Huntington. She currently serves on the boards of the Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington Symphony, Ebenezer Medical Outreach Center and A.D. Lewis Community Center. She has also served as a member of the Huntington Tri-State Airport board, Junior League of Huntington, St. Mary’s advisory board for women’s health, City of Huntington Board of Zoning Appeals and West Virginia Board of Medicine.

Henderson is especially invested in mentoring young people, including teaching young West Virginia lawyers and being involved with mentoring programs for young women and African-American youth.

“My mentoring is an investment in the next generation,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for me to give back and train up the next generation. I hope that in the past 35-plus years I have touched someone who has gone on to do well. West Virginia has so much potential, and I believe it’s been my goal over the years to make a difference in this state.”